VERO BEACH — The Treasure Coast Jazz Society 2011/2012 Concert Series is listed below. Afternoon concerts are held at the Vero Beach Yacht Club and evening concerts are held in the Vero Beach Museum of Art Leonhardt Auditorium. All concerts are $50 for non-members.
For tickets or additional information, call (772) 234-4600.
Saturday Jan. 7, Noon at the Vero Beach Yacht Club:
Bill Allred’s 8-pc Classic Jazz Band Celebrating over 20 years of playing great jazz – amounting to a symposium on the history of jazz. You are apt to hear anything from Jelly Roll Morton to Count Basie and all the stops in-between.
This Orlando-based all-star group was born out of ex-Rosie O’Grady (an Orlando pub) and Disney musicians; they started collecting and playing the arrangements of Marty Matlock and Billy Maxted and found there was a real market for the “little big band” type of sound. Now, the band has a national following with the Bill Allred Classic Jazz Band Fan Club based in Olathe, Kansas.
Saturday Jan. 28, Noon at the Vero Beach Yacht Club:
The Ken Peplowski Quartet. We’re catching this outstanding group on the way to Fort Lauderdale for a jazz cruise. The late Mel Torme said “There are too few clarinetists to fill the void that Goodman left. Ken Peplowski is most certainly one of those few. The man is magic.”
The New York Times pronounced a concert of Ken’s “Goodman straight up, with a twist of lighting.” To quote Ken, “When you grow up in Cleveland, Ohio playing in a polka band, you learn to think fast on your feet.” These quotes only hint of Ken’s virtuosity – not only is he an outstanding clarinetist and saxophone player, but he’s also a charismatic entertainer who’s been delighting audiences for over 30 years with his warmth, wit and musicianship.
Saturday Feb. 18, Noon at the Vero Beach Yacht Club:
“The Black Dogs” all-star band was formed in Orlando in 1989 composed of staff musicians from Walt Disney World. They’ve always been in pursuit of introducing new energy to vintage American popular music featuring New Orleans Rhythm and Blues and classic jump swing. In multiple tours to Europe and the Far East over the last 20 years, The Black Dogs have shared their music with fans of many nations as well as headlining Traditional Jazz Festivals across the United States. Their instrumentation includes a rhythmic tuba, which goes back to the era of early jazz groups.
Monday Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Leonhardt Auditorium:
Two Grand Piano Giants – “Improvs on The Great American Songbook” by Dick Hyman and Derek Smith. This concert follows up their smash concert here last season. Dick has recorded over a 100 albums under his own name and appeared on countless others.
His film credits are numerous and his talents were employed on no less than ten Woody Allen movies. Derek Smith was part of the British jazz scene and moved to America in 1957. Within weeks he was recording with the Modern Jazz Quartet. Later years found him in the company of Benny Goodman, Mel Torme and Ella Fitzgerald. Both men have been an integral part of the jazz and popular music scene for the past 60 years.
Wednesday March 21, 7:30 p.m. at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Leonhardt Auditorium:
“A Tribute to Benny Goodman” by the Terry Myers 18-pc Orchestra. Benny Goodman was an American jazz and swing clarinetist and bandleader widely known as the “King of Swing.” His 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall has been termed “the single most important jazz concert in history.”
The Terry Myers Orchestra was formed in 1990, and has been dedicated to the music of Benny Goodman including a salute to the famous 1938 concert. According to Terry, “I’m blessed with a great pool of talent from the Orlando area that plays with such enthusiasm. Our Tribute is also to a wonderful generation that made the music popular in the first place.”
