Louis Armstrong once said that if you have to ask what makes jazz so special, you'll never know the answer.

The University of Dayton community will get a taste of jazz this weekend and can decide for itself what makes it so special.

The University Jazz Band and the Flyer Jazz Lab Band will play at 3 p.m. Sunday at Boll Theatre in KU.

The University Jazz Band, conducted by Professor James Leslie, will play music by artists including Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis.

Leslie said he is enthusiastic about the concert.

"This year's band is very good," Leslie said. "The students are playing very well, and it is a pleasure to direct them. Many of them are talented improvisers, which brings a high level of artistry to the performances."

Leslie, in his second year directing the University Jazz Band, is no stranger to the campus music scene.

He is the assistant director of the marching band and the Javanese Gamelan Ensemble and the director of UD's percussion ensemble.

He also teaches percussion and drum set lessons at UD.

"My official title is artist-in-residence," Leslie said.

The Flyer Jazz Lab Band, directed by Dr. Willie Morris, III, will also perform. The band was formed three years ago because of student interest, Morris said.

"We had two full bands at the time (the Dayton Jazz Ensemble and the University Jazz Band), and more students wanted to join, and we were already full, so we had to form another band," Morris said.

The Lab Band will play music with arrangements in the style of American jazz musician Count Basie, as well as a "funk number" and some blues pieces, Morris said.

Morris said exploration of different musical genres is important to him.

"We try to mix up the style of music we play to get students comfortable with improvisations, as they should be [when they play jazz]," Morris said.

Leslie and Morris have both played at many venues. Leslie has played at Gilly's Jazz and Victoria Theatre in Dayton, The Jazz Factory in Louisville, Ky., and even as far away as Belgium. Morris has performed at Pacchia's Jazz Room and Gilly's in Dayton, as well as other locations.

This adaptability is matched by both of the directors' bands, which have played in the KU Ballroom, KU Pub and Boll Theatre.

"The [University Jazz Band] is eager to share their music with the public," Leslie said.

And what does Morris think audiences will get out of the concert?

"They'll hear good jazz played at different levels," he said.

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call (937) 229-3936.