On Monday, July 18, Evening of Jazz will feature modern jazz group Tom Marko and the Inner Light playing music from their upcoming debut CD release on Summit Records. Evening of Jazz is a yearly event put on as a part of Illinois State’s Concerts on the Quad series.

“This was my first album as a group leader,” said Marko, Illinois State’s jazz director. “I wrote all the music for it, and I spent quite a bit of time tweaking things little by little. This CD is a product of two College of Fine Arts research grants, and we recorded it in the concert hall here at Illinois State last August. The CD

The cover of the new CD by Tom Marko and the Inner Light.

The cover of the new CD by Tom Marko and the Inner Light.

release is the final product of a couple year project.”

The official release for the album will be in October, but Marko plans to have exclusive prerelease copies of the CD available

during Evening of Jazz. Tom Marko and the Inner Light will feature Todd Kelly on trumpet, Jonathan Beckett on saxophone, Harold Greene on guitar, Illinois State Professor Kevin Hart on keyboard, Andy Crawford on bass, and Tom Marko on drums.

The night will also be recognized as Illinois State alumni night where alumni, friends, faculty, and staff can reconnect while enjoying the smooth jazz of Marko. Illinois State’s Alumni Association will also be on-site greeting alumni and handing out summer giveaways.

All Concerts on the Quad begin at 7 p.m., are free and open to the public, and take place on the east side of Cook Hall (the Castle) on the Quad. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating.