Admission $25 - $45
Fundraiser for the Bethesda Jazz & Blues Youth Orchestra
http://bethesdabluesjazz.com/
The Count Basie Orchestra, one of the preeminent swing jazz ensembles, will be headlining this fundraiser for the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra. The evening will open with a wonderful performance by the talented young musicians of the Youth Orchestra, followed by the legendary Count Basie Orchestra featuring eighteen world class musicians and vocalist Brianna Thomas.
The Count Basie Orchestra is a venerable institution of American music representing the grandeur and excellence of jazz music as personified by its founder and bandleader, William James “Count” Basie. Featuring many of the greatest vocalists, musicians, composers and arrangers in jazz history, the Count Basie Orchestra has won 18 Grammy Awards and every respected jazz poll including #1 Big Band in the latest Downbeat magazine reader's poll, as well as having toured the world at every major jazz festival and concert hall. Now under the leadership of it’s Director, Scotty Barnhart, The Count Basie Orchestra is traveling the world celebrating it’s 80th Anniversary and continuing the excellent standards in swinging and shouting the blues with precision, and continuing to be “The Most Explosive Force In Jazz”.
The Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra is comprised of twenty brilliant musicians from the ages of 11-17, and its mission is to provide an educational environment and opportunity for young musicians to experience and perform jazz music. The Youth Orchestra is under the direction of music educator and saxophonist Fred Foss, who has worked with the National Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. He also performed with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, Hugh Masekela, Tito Puente, Patti Labelle, The Temptations and The Four Tops. Foss enjoys teaching his knowledge and wisdom to young musicians who have the opportunity to learn from a master and, in many cases, become professional musicians themselves.
Come and enjoy this spectacular, fun evening while supporting the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Youth Orchestra!