The Santa Fe College Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble will perform their annual “Evening of Jazz” on Friday.

The event will start at 7:30 p.m. in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall located at 3000 NW 83 St. in Gainesville.

The concert will feature SF students performing jazz classics while blending contemporary and historic sounds across two vibrant sets. “An Evening of Jazz” is a dedication by SF College to preserve this tradition and share an experience that celebrates the power of jazz to bridge cultures.

Tickets are $16 for adults; $10 for seniors, students, military service members and children 12 and under; and free for SF students, faculty, and staff with SFID cards. Tickets are available from the Fine Arts Hall box office at 352-395-4181 or online from Showpass at showpass.com/evening-of-jazz.

The eight-student SF Jazz Combo will perform jazz standards from some of the genre’s greatest legends. The setlist includes “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins and “So What” by Miles Davis, along with a vocal performance of “Embraceable You.”

The 14-student SF Jazz Ensemble will perform pieces that explore the depth and diversity of jazz. Highlights include “Sunday Morning Shuffle,” a piece inspired by gospel and blues influences, and “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise,” originally composed in 1928 but reimagined in a fresh, modern jazz style.

Dr. David Smith, Santa Fe College’s director of bands and associate professor of music, will share his insights on the cultural significance of jazz.

“Jazz, a style of music that was created by African American musicians, is considered America’s only original art form that involves a rich blend of European and African American influences,” Smith said. “Jazz has helped to unite African and white Americans together in the same dance halls and on the same bandstand in the midst of segregation in American during the Swing Era.”