BRATTLEBORO-The 18-piece Vermont Jazz Center Big Band is excited to celebrate 20 years of music, and what better way to celebrate than by honoring the legacy of Count Basie?
For this year's annual scholarship gala, which takes place on Friday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., they will pull out all the stops with a swing-dance performance featuring Grammy-award winning singer Carmen Bradford.
Carmen Bradford is a third-generation vocalist who has ascended to jazz royalty through pedigree, talent, and hard work. For nine years, she was the featured vocalist with Count Basie (1904–1984) and continues to tour and record with the Count Basie (Legacy) Orchestra. She received a Grammy Award for her contributions to Basie Swings the Blues with the Count Basie Orchestra. She also appears on the Grammy-award winning album organized by Kenny Rankin, The Benny Carter Songbook Project.
Bradford has been nominated five times for a Grammy Award, is the recipient of the Los Angeles Jazz Society's Jazz Vocalist Award, and was recently elected to the Austin Jazz Society's Hall of Fame.
She has performed and/or recorded with Patti Austin, Tony Bennett, George Benson, Shelly Berg, James Brown, Benny Carter, Dori Caymmi, John Clayton, Freddy Cole, Lena Horne, Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Jeremy Monteiro, David Murray, Willie Nelson, James Newton, Kenny Rankin, Lou Rawls, Doc Severinsen, Frank Sinatra, Byron Stripling, Tierney Sutton, Joe Williams, Nancy Wilson, Liz Wright, and countless other artists from around the world.
She has also performed and/or recorded with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dani Felber Big Band, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Diva Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the PhillyImagination Nation, a tribute to Nelson Mandela by South African trumpeter Darren English. This critically acclaimed album won the Pledge for Peace award from the Global Peace Song Awards.
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The VJC Big Band is made up of area professional musicians who come together to enjoy the rewards of playing invigorating, challenging, and historically significant repertoire while raising money for the VJC's Scholarship Fund.
December's Annual Gala is the primary fundraiser for the Fund which grants an annual average of $20,000 worth of scholarships to students, offsetting fees for ensembles, private lessons, and their world-renowned summer jazz workshop. By attending this event, you will be contributing to the scholarship fund; all proceeds will be earmarked toward benefitting students who otherwise wouldn't be able to pursue their musical objectives.
This year, the VJC Big Band celebrates its 20th year thanks to the decade-long leadership of musical director Rob Freeberg, and to the organizational persistence of band manager and baritone saxophonist, Sherm Fox.
Each year the VJC Big Band performs a dance concert on the first Friday of December that features a special guest artist. Past headliners have included Evan Arntzen, Alexis Cole, Amanda Carr, Houston Person, Dave Stryker, Samirah Evans, Rich Greenblatt, Mark Anagnostopulos, Rebecca (Bella) Holtz, Kevin Mahogany, Miles Griffith, Peter Eldridge, Wanda Houston, and Eguie Castrillo.
Members of the VJC Big Band include trumpeters Don Anderson, Rick Anderson, Haneef Nelson and Rob Freeberg; woodwind players Michael Zsoldos, Sherm Fox, Bruce Diehl, Carl Clements, and Donna Morse; trombonists John Wheeler, Amaranth Cole, Dave Sporny, and Tim Atherton; and rhythm section members Eugene Uman (piano), Wes Brown (bass), and Steve Rice (drums).
This concert will be a hybrid event with both livestream and in-person components. Patrons can opt for the livestream and create intimate dance parties in their homes or choose to come to the Jazz Center to dance in person to the sounds of an 18-piece big band. The livestream for home viewers can be accessed on the Vermont Jazz Center's website (vtjazz.org) or via its Facebook Live page. Livestream viewers are encouraged to make an online donation to the Scholarship Fund in lieu of purchasing a ticket.
The VJC Big Band is fortunate to have Freeberg's guidance as musical director. He is a seasoned musician and big band conductor who leads the VJC's large ensemble with finesse and skill, drawing on his respect for the jazz legacy, an unerring ear, and decades of experience leading his own Big Band in the New York City region.
Freeberg moved to Dummerston in 2012 after retiring from his position as Director of Bands at New Rochelle (N.Y.) High School, where he taught for 30 years. He is also the musical director of the VJC Sextet and performs with the Windham Orchestra, its brass quintet, the Bennington County Choral Society, and the Keene Chorale.
Fox's continued persistence and organizational efforts have provided the glue that has held the band together since 2004. The VJC Big Band was originally a project initiated by Fox and Howard Brofsky (a.k.a Dr. Bebop), the VJC's mentor and former board president who died in 2013.
The VJC is especially grateful for sponsors Dianne and Steve Lieberman, medical professionals from Amherst, Massachusetts, who have demonstrated their belief in the music and the VJC community by sponsoring this annual concert for many years. The VJC also appreciates the support of the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Humanities Council, the New England Foundation of the Arts, and the National Endowment of the Arts.
Be sure to mark Friday, Dec. 6, on your calendars, polish your dancing shoes to prepare for this fun evening, and dance the night away while savoring the sounds of swing music. Make your reservations early as this concert always sells out quickly. Admission is $40–100 (sliding scale), general admission. Tickets can be reserved online at vtjazz.org, by email at sarah@vtjazz.org, or by phone at 802-254-9088, ext. 1. Handicapped access is available by emailing or calling Sarah to schedule a time for one of our staff to meet your party.
Eugene Uman is director of the Vermont Jazz Center. The Commons' Deeper Dive column gives artists, arts organizations, and other nonprofits elbow room to write in first person and/or be unabashedly opinionated, passionate and analytical about their own creative work and events.
This Arts column was submitted to The Commons.