The UMSL Jazz Ensemble, led by director of jazz studies Jim Widner (right), will perform March 1 at the Touhill. (Photo by August Jennewein)

The University of Missouri–St. Louis Jazz Ensemble will let loose with a night of great jazz at 7:30 p.m. on March 1 at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Attendees can expect to hear everything from County Basie to Stan Kenton. The group has performed with jazz greats including, Clark Terry, Peter Erskine, Buddy DeFranco, John Pizzarelli and Jon Faddis.

The ensemble welcomes special guest performers, the Shades of Blue U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America. The band has a long history of entertaining the American public and promoting military morale. The unit strives to inspire the hearts and minds of service-members around the world.

Jim Widner, director of jazz studies at UMSL, is the conductor of the Jazz Ensemble. The performance is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall at the Touhill.

The concert is sponsored by the Department of Music at UMSL.