An Evening with Jazz Bassist Kelly Sill and Drummer Jack Mouse

North Central College presents “Revenge of the Rhythm Section,” featuring two members of the College’s acclaimed jazz faculty, drummer Jack Mouse and bassist Kelly Sill. Mouse began playing at age 4 and by his late teens was already performing with such musical greats as Tex Beneke, Ralph Flanagan, Buddy Morrow, “Peanuts” Hucko and Red Norvo. Upon graduating from college, he spent three years as featured soloist with the Falconaires, the official jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force Academy. The Jack Mouse Group’s 2012 CD “Range of Motion” (Origin Records), featuring his original compositions, received extensive international radio airplay and garnered many rave reviews from All About Jazz. 2014 brought the debut of the Tall Grass Records label established by Jack and his wife, jazz vocalist Janice Borla. Mouse’s multi-faceted career has been the subject of recent interviews in Modern Drummer and Jazz Improv magazines. He has authored articles for Percussive Notes and the IAJEIllinois Newsletter. In 2005, he was a featured artist during the first online Virtual Percussion Festival presented at the University of Manitoba by the ALIVE Project (Accessible Live Internet Video Education). Sill has worked for more than 30 years in the Chicago area as a house bassist for Rick’s Cafe Americain, George’s, The Jazz Showcase, Pop’s and The Green Mill. Concert venues include the Chicago Jazz Festival, Ravinia, the Red Sea Jazz Festival, the Elkhart Jazz Festival and Orchestra Hall (Symphony Center) in Chicago. Sill has also performed with a long list of big names in the industry. Joining Sill and Mouse for this concert will be fellow members of the College’s highly-esteemed jazz studies program. This season’s jazz series is co-presented by Flashpoint Creative Arts, whose goal is to promote greater understanding of and participation in the art of improvisation with innovative artistic and educational experiences that draw people more deeply into the improvisatory process.