BRATTLEBORO — The Vermont Jazz Center presents its annual big band swing gala on Friday, Dec. 5, at 8 p.m. This year's event celebrates the swing music of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, when big band jazz served as North America's popular music and provided the pulse for social dancing.
The 17-piece Vermont Jazz Center Big Band is joined by Rebecca Holtz and Rob Fletcher, two exquisite singers with strong affinities to swing. For one exceptional evening, their voices will ride on the waves of the authentic big band sound, bringing to life the allure of glitter and fantasy that characterized the musical diversion we still cherish.
The VJC big band is directed by trumpeter Rob Freeberg and features guest soloist Scott Mullett on tenor saxophone and clarinet.
Freeberg was band director at New Rochelle (N.Y.) High School, led his own professional big band as well as a community big band in Westchester County, received awards from the New York State School Music Association, and conducted high school performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.
He directs the VJC Sextet and is the jazz instructor at The Putney School.
Scott Mullett was musical director for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and saxophonist in the legendary big bands of Woody Herman and Artie Shaw. He is the founder and musical director of the Keene Jazz Orchestra and teaches at Keene State College.
The VJC Big Band will deliver original arrangements from the libraries of the big bands of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, Dizzy Gillespie, Harry James, Glenn Miller, and Cab Calloway.
The music is tailored for dancing and will include tempos perfect for dance steps such as the Fox Trot, Two Step, Charleston and even the Cha Cha.
Shine your shoes, and come prepared to dance to the powerful force of a live band performing the sounds of your favorite big band classics.
Admission, which includes a desert buffet, is $25-plus for general admission, $30-plus for reservations that include reserved seating; students with valid ID get in for $5 less.