The Derek Trucks Band to Perform Nov. 19 at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts will present The Derek Trucks Band with special guest Vusi Mahlasela at 8 p.m. on Nov. 19 in the Mainstage theater located in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. The concert is sponsored by the UB Student Association and WBUF-FM.

The Derek Trucks Band has been a work in progress for more than 10 years, slowly blending jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian and other world music into the sound that now defines the DTB. The mission of the band has been to assemble a group of musicians who share a passion for improvisation and musical exploration, and to develop a special musical unity by performing with this core group of players for an extended period of time. The focus of the band is on the art form itself, despite the current trend of image-driven music on the scene today.

Trucks' musical career began at the age of nine when he picked up a $5 acoustic guitar at a yard sale. Within the span of a single year, he had purchased an instrument, learned how to play, and began touring -- with his father acting as road manager/chaperone. Trucks' touring became more and more frequent, eventually forcing him to change to an on-the-road education program to finish high school. What had begun as a weekend activity had grown into Trucks' lifestyle, his life.

Derek got his first paying gig at age 11 and formed his first band at age 12. Bassist Todd Smallie, who played with many jazz and blues musicians in the Atlanta area, entered the picture in 1994, when Derek was 15 years old. In 1995, Yonrico Scott rounded out the band's permanent rhythm section. Keyboardist and flute player Kofi Burbridge joined the band in 1999. In May of 2002 the DTB added vocalist Mike Mattison to the touring line up.

The Derek Trucks Band released its eponymous debut (Landslide) in 1997, following it up in 1998 with Out of Madness (House of Blues). The band's major label debut Joyful Noise (Columbia) was released in 2002. The band released Soul Serenade earlier this year.

In 1999, Trucks was asked to join the Allman Brothers Band, taking over slide-guitar duty. But with so much invested in the Derek Trucks Band, breaking up the group was out of the question. He decided to balance the two, and between them he keeps up an extensive touring schedule that leaves little time at home in Jacksonville. In fact, between his own group and the Allman Brothers Band, Trucks played more than 365 shows in 2000 and 2001, reaching a combined audience of more than a million people in those two years alone.

Vusi Mahlasela, a South African singer, musician and songwriter will open the concert. Mahlasela was featured in the critically acclaimed documentary "Amandla!," a film that explores the role of music in South Africa's apartheid struggle.

Tickets for The Derek Trucks Band are $22.50 for the general public and $18.50 for UB students. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. The Center for the Arts is a TicketFast location.