SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2016 | CHARLESTON MUSIC HALL
CHARLESTON, SC – April 13, 2016 – The Charleston Jazz Orchestra (CJO) presents A Night At The Village Vanguard, Celebrating the Music of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band. The CJO continues their 2016 season with the music from the legendary Thad Jones and Mel Lewis.
Both born in the 1920s, Thad Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader and long time member of the Count Basie Orchestra. Mel Lewis was an American drummer, jazz musician, and bandleader. Their band, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, was formed around 1965. Among professional jazz musicians, this elite jazz orchestra is one of the most respected big bands of all time. During the height of their popularity, the band consisted of New York City’s crème de la crème of studio jazz musicians. The band won a Grammy Award in 1978 for their album Monday Night Live At The Village Vanguard. The CJO will be performing various pieces from this album along with other songs.
This is one of the more difficult concerts the CJO will be performing as the music of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis features very complex arrangements. “ It is basically a cross between the composition skills of Duke Ellington, mixed with the tightness of the Count Basie Orchestra, with some contemporary influences thrown in,” said CJO bandleader and music director Charlton Singleton. “There is an overwhelming majority of jazz musicians, including famous ones, that believe the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra is the most influential big band ensemble of all time. This includes the likes of Ellington, Basie, and Dorsey.” Highlights of the CJO performance will include pieces such as “A Child is Born,” “Groove Merchant,” and “Central Park North.”
Tickets for A NIGHT AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD can be purchased online at charlestonjazz.com, by phone at 843-641-0011, or at the box office located at the Charleston Music Hall, 37 John Street, Charleston, SC, Monday – Friday from 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Prices range from $35 to $55 per ticket. Student tickets are $10.
About The Charleston Jazz Orchestra: The CJO is produced and presented by Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC), a South Carolina-based non-profit organization incorporated to foster a solid and professional environment for jazz musicians, artists, students and enthusiasts in the Charleston area. Its mission is to develop, promote and support a vibrant and creative jazz culture through concerts, special outreach events, and educational programs, and to preserve and celebrate Charleston’s rich musical history and legacy as it explores the various realms of jazz.
For more information, please visit http://www.charleston-jazz.local. To schedule an interview or media appearance, or for hi-resolution images, contact [email protected].
