Wed 3/18 @ 7:30PM
It was almost exactly a year ago when the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra played at the Tri-C Metro Campus Auditorium — the same place they’ll be coming back to this week. No, of course, jazz pianist/composer/band leader Count Basie won’t be with them — he died in 1984 at the age of 79 after a career that set the standards for the presentation of big band jazz. He led his ensemble from 1935 until his death, working with vocalists such as Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Billy Eckstine and even Frank Sinatra.
His music has lived on not just in his influence, but in the ensemble that carries his name, which performs his world-renowned compositions in the style he created. It’s been led since 2013 by Grammy-winning jazz trumpet player Scotty Barnhart.
But before they take the stage, something else special will happen: the audience will be the first to learn the lineup of theater shows at this year’s Tri-C JazzFest, taking place June 25-27 at Playhouse Square.
Go here for tickets for the big reveal and the music of the Legendary Count Basie Orchestra.