Come Thursday evening, the Duke Ellington Ballroom will be filled with the sounds of its namesake.

The NIU Jazz Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. tonight in the Ellington ballroom located inside the Holmes Student Center, performing songs by Ellington and others. The performance is free and students do not need a ticket to attend.

Guest drummer Victor Lewis will perform with the ensemble on big band hits like Ellington’s “Sunset and the Mocking Bird,” and “Sophisticated Lady,”said ensemble director Ron Carter. The ensemble will also perform Dizzy Gillespie’s “Things to Come” and Thad Jones’ “Mean What You Say,” among others.

Lewis has earned a reputation in the jazz world for his complex drumming style, performing over the years with jazz legends like Bobby Watson and tenor saxophonist Stan Getz.

Lewis has performed at NIU before, but tonight marks his first time performing with the jazz ensemble.

Carter said NIU students who aren’t familiar with jazz can still enjoy the performance because of the influence jazz has had on all realms of music.

“All popular music is based on jazz,” Carter said. “If they like anything from Adele to Kanye West…students say ‘I don’t like jazz but I like the NIU jazz ensemble.’”

The performance is dedicated to Robert Chappell, head of the NIU percussion department. Chappell is retiring after nearly 20 years at NIU and will be performing on the first piece of the night on the vibraphone.

Carter said donations will also be accepted to help send the DeKalb High School jazz band to New York City to perform.

“We do what we can to help support the program,” he said.

Carter said the performance will feature Hayden Ashley, a pianist, vocalist and NIU music student.

“Hayden is a very outstanding jazz vocalist,” Carter said. “He’s going to be an international jazz star in the next ten years.”

Carter said the performances usually attract 800 to 1,000 people and there is no dress code to attend.