Degrees in Bop

The New Arts Jazztet from Carbondale meticulously composes and perform original jazz works, combining straight ahead hard-bop with an accessible, contemporary touch.

Under the leadership of bass player Phil Brown, a music professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the Jazztet (know as the New Arts Quintet before the recent addition of a sixth player) has been entertaining audiences for more than two decades. Though the band is composed of music professors from various Illinois universities, the lively jazz they play is anything but academic.

At home in both nightclubs and concert halls, the band has performed at Cincinnati's smoky Blue Wisp and Chicago's ritzy Pops for Champagne, as well as playing festivals and universities across the country.