South Carolina’s celebrated big band ensemble shines spotlight on featured members
The SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, under the direction of Music Director Robert Gardiner, opens the 22/23 Season with SPOTLIGHT on October 22, 2022 at 7:30 PM at Harbison Theatre (Irmo, SC). This concert features the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, a 20-piece big band that is comprised of some of the most outstanding jazz musicians, soloists, and bandleaders from across the Carolinas.
SPOTLIGHT focuses on the talent within the ensemble, and will feature amazing performances from celebrated members of the Southeastern jazz community who hail from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and all over South Carolina. Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org. Subscriptions for the full season are available at a savings for $155-$225, and can be requested by writing [email protected].
SPOTLIGHT boasts a full evening of entertainment with two acts of amazing big-band jazz from the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble, a pre-concert performance by the Zach Bingham Blues Band and complimentary beer and wine in the lobby (while it lasts).
SPOTLIGHT will feature time-cherished jazz classics and some boldly reimagined contemporary works. The compositions range from Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and an opener by Lennon and McCartney. The program also features original compositions and arrangements by local jazz legends Dick Goodwin and Bert Ligon amongst others.
The ensemble for SPOTLIGHT will feature the following musicians: VOCALS: Kristi Hood (Dick Goodwin Big Band), Edwin Hamilton (Freelance musician, Minister of Music, Augusta, Ga); SAXOPHONES: Bill King (King William Jazz Collective, USAF), Tracy Patterson (Assoc. Professor/Woodwind Chair, Winthrop Univ.), Christopher Andrews (D.M.A. student, Cincinnati Conservatory), Mark Sterbank (Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Prof. Charleston Southern), Frank Southecorvo (Ashville Jazz Orchestra); TRUMPETS: Charlie Polk (SC Philharmonic Orchestra), Matthew White (Assoc. Professor of Jazz Studies, USC), Chuck Dalton (Charleston Jazz Orchestra, freelance musician), Tim Leahey (USAF Airmen of Note), Dick Goodwin (Composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus, USC); TROMBONES: Michael Wilkinson (Asst. Professor of Trombone, USC), Brad Jepson (Co-Founder, Greenville Jazz Collective), Kevin Jones (Assoc.
Professor of Jazz Trombone, Florida State Univ.), Major Bailey (Assistant Director of Bands at SC State University); RHYTHM: Bert Ligon, (piano, composer, Distinguished Prof. Emeritus, USC), Amos Hoffman (guitar, oud – international touring and recording artist), Shannon Hoover (bass, Co-founder of the Greenville Jazz Collective) and Edwin Hamilton (Freelance musician, Minister of Music, Augusta, Ga)
The 22/23 Masterworks Season has been gathered under the umbrella of ANSWERS. Louis Armstrong said, “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” This season, the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble is gearing up to let the music give audiences the answers. Whether they are looking for a moment of inspiration, an evening with friends, a special date night, a break from life’s chaos, or a daring moment to lose themselves in jazz – this season’s concerts will prove that old adage that “the best solution to any problem is music.”
SPOTLIGHT is a one-night only performance, and will open the SC Jazz Masterworks Ensemble 22/23 Season: ANSWERS on October 22, 2022 at 7:30 PM at Harbison Theatre (Irmo, SC). Reserved seating tickets range from $25 to $50, and can be purchased at www.scjazz.org. Subscriptions for the full season are available at a savings for $155-$225, and can be requested by writing [email protected].