THIS FRIDAY (6/26) ǀ Columbus Jazz Orchestra

With very few performance opportunities available for jazz musicians playing in the big band scene, Columbus Jazz Arts Group formed the Columbus Jazz Orchestra over 40 years ago with no idea how successful it would come to be. To stop from becoming a thing of the past, audiences are led to return each and every season due to their new and modern arrangements of jazz classics, but with the same high energy and style that big bands have obtained since the 1920s. Byron Stripling, world-renown band leader and trumpet virtuoso, leads the Columbus Jazz Orchestra with the experience of playing with bands of Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman and Lionel Hampton, traveling the world to play jazz festivals and being a featured soloist with groups such as the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops, the National Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Their performance for this Rhythm on the River series is a bit different from the past. Showcasing their performance from earlier this year, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra will perform their “100 Years of Frank Sinatra” with special guests Dwight Lenox and Phil Clark. Rather than performing with a Sinatra impersonator, local talents Lenox and Clark give their own take on the Sinatra standard that we have come to love. Their February performance drew a full house at the Southern Theatre—ultimately resulting in not one, but two standing ovations.

Byron Stripling had this to say on their performance: “There are passing trends in life and culture. We call them flavor of the month…and then there are classics (referring to Sinatra).” The Columbus Jazz Orchestra will make Sinatra’s music fun for the whole family—leaving listeners tapping their toes to the crooner’s hits. We are pleased to present an unforgettable night of some of your favorite charts, performed by the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.

EVENING SCHEDULE:
6:30 p.m. – Food and beverage sales begin
7:30 p.m. – Performance

Artist Website:
http://www.jazzartsgroup.org/