In an unusual pairing of music and lecture that results in a presentation on the impact of jazz on the world, Santa Monica College is pleased to present "Jazz: The Classical Music of Globalization" Feb. 10 and 11.

The "informance" event will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10 in Art Lecture Hall 214 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11 in the Theatre Arts Main Stage, both located on SMC's main campus, 1900 Pico Blvd. Both presentations are free.

Teaming up for this unique combination - which blends music, words and images on the history of jazz and its wide-ranging impact on the global community - are Austrian historian and amateur musician Dr. Reinhold Wagnleitner and New Orleans-based pianist Tom McDermott.

Jazz has been the fastest dispersed cultural product in world history, says Wagnleitner, an associate history professor at the University of Salzburg in Austria who specializes in the relationship between the United States and Europe in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Wagnleitner has had a long and distinguished career in academia, teaching not only in Austria but also in several universities in the U.S. Twice a Fulbright Scholar, he has won several academic honors and has lectured throughout the world.

He is also an avid music lover and, for many years, played bass and sung in rock and jazz bands. His project "Satchmo Meets Amadeus" - which is now the name of the book he has written - involved academic conferences integrating jazz and classical concerts as well as photo exhibits in New Orleans and Salzburg. The project was awarded the Tolerance and Diversity Prize by the U.S. Embassy in Vienna.

McDermott is an award-winning and versatile musician and composer with an eclectic background, including a stint with the Dukes of Dixieland that included a world tour, a concert at Carnegie Hall, and a Grammy-nominated album.

His other albums have received critical praise from such publications as the New York Times and Rolling Stone. He has gotten particular notice for moving between many worlds of music, including American ragtime, jazz and boogie-woogie; New Orleans R&B; Brazilian choro; and music from France, Cuba, Paraguay and more.

Since 2003 he has been touring Europe and the U.S, with Wagnleitner showcasing the jazz "informance."

The presentations at SMC are part of the college's global citizenship initiative and are sponsored by the SMC Global Citizenship Committee, Office of Public Programs, Title V First-Year Institute, and Music Department.

Seating is on a first-arrival basis. For information, call (310) 434-4303.

CONTACT: Public Information Officer Bruce Smith (310) 434-4209 www.smc.edu/planetarium