The Jazz Ensemble will perform with guest trumpeter Sean Jones at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Duke Ellington Ballroom of the Holmes Student Center.

The concert will be free and open to the public.

“We have a guest performer coming in who has done wonderful, beautiful albums,” said Lynn Slater, coordinator of admissions and public relations for the School of Music.

Jones has released five albums and was featured on the 2007 Grammy award-winning album “Turned to Blue” by Nancy Wilson.

“Everybody needs to come and check it out,” Slater said. “The jazz ensemble plays fun music and everyone always has a great time. It will be a night to remember.”

For the past 14 years, Jazz Ensemble has been recognized as one of the top 10 graduate jazz programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Its members have performed with artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Bellson, Clark Terry, Tito Puente and James Moody.

Sophomore pre-nursing major Noemi Rodriguez said she likes how jazz music gets the audience excited.

“I’ve seen the Jazz Ensemble perform before and my favorite part is when then crowd starts cheering on the band,” Rodriguez said.

Ron Carter, director of the Jazz Ensemble, said jazz remains one of the most popular genres of music because of its authenticity.

“We apply jazz from a cultural foundation,” said Carter. “Jazz is different from other genres because it’s actual American music.”

Although jazz has been one of the biggest foundations for all the popular music to be played at the concert, not everyone enjoys music the same way.

“Today’s music has a specific emotion attached to it. It’s either about being in love, happy or sad,” Rodriguez said. “I like jazz because it doesn’t cater to one specific emotion and it doesn’t have a bad meaning. A lot of today’s popular music makes women look bad with the negative lyrics that come along with it.”

The concert is free and single tickets will be available at the door. Group tickets may be reserved by calling Slater at 815-753-1546 or Carter at 815-753-0643.