Mark White Octet Celebrates Album Release at The Black Box

Celebrate the release of the Mark White Octet's debut recording with a live performance at THE BLACK BOX, downtown Franklin's theater, music and event venue, at 8 p.m. on Friday, December 1. Featuring West Coast Swing with an East Coast vibe, the Octet includes Mark White (guitar), Scott deOgburn (piano), Jon Garniss (trombone), Kenny Hadley (drums), Rick Hammet (trumpet), Arnie Krakowsky (tenor sax), Mark Poniatowski (bass) and Ken Reid (bari sax), world-class musicians whose performance résumés include a long list of music royalty. THE BLACK BOX CD release party will also feature special guests Ben Whiting, Jeff Stout and Barry Smith. A suburban hub for great music and the home of the Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC), THE BLACK BOX is located at 15 West Central Street.

Mark White has performed with the Boston Pops under Keith Lockhart, Boston Musica Viva under Richard Pitman, and the New England Ragtime Ensemble under Gunther Schuller, as well as with the Empire Brass Quintet, George Russell, Gil Evans and Anthony Braxton. A Professor of Guitar at Berklee College of Music, he has taught over 50 clinics for Berklee in Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Columbia, Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea. White has played many theatre engagements with touring Broadway companies and has recorded for Blue Note, King, MMC Records and Heineken Jazz Festival.

Scott Deogburn's performance credits include appearances with Diane Reeves, Branford Marsalis, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and The Temptations, as well as performances with Gloria Estefan, Isaac Hayes, Paula Cole and more. Broadway musical experience is with Dream Girls, 42nd Street, Hello Dolly, Cats, Starlight Express, Carrie, Me and My Girl, A Chorus Line, and Fiddler on the Roof. Recording credits include the Kenny Hadley Big Band, the Greg Hopkins Big Band, Myanna and the Urban Renewal Band.

Jon Garniss has worked professionally in the Boston music scene since the age of 14 with local and national acts such as Tony Bennett, The Artie Shaw Orchestra, Ringling Brothers Circus, Rosemary Clooney, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The O'Jays, Lou Rawls, Liza Minelli, and countless others. He has played for touring Broadway companies at the Wang Center, The Schubert, and The Colonial Theaters, among many others.

Kenny Hadley has performed with Van Morrison, Dizzy Gillespie, Peter Wolf, The Drifters and Rebecca Parris. His acclaimed Kenny Hadley Big Band has shared the stage with the Count Basie Orchestra and the Duke Ellington Orchestra and has hosted guest soloists including Clark Terry and Louie Bellson.

Rick Hammett has played lead trumpet for Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Shirley Bassey, the Boston Pops and Mel Tormé. He has recorded jingles for Ford, the Boston Red Sox, WBZ-TV's Chronicle and others, as well as CD recordings for RCA (Chess Broadway cast recording), Warner Bros. (soundtrack for the movie Dick Tracy), and Electra. Hammett has toured playing 1st trumpet with the national productions of Cats, Les Misérables, 42nd Street, and The Music of Andrew Lloyd Weber with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman.

Arnie Krakowsky has played with legendary artists such as Ray Charles, Mel Tormé, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra Jr, Phil Wood, Lionel Hampton, Dave McKenna, Gray Sargent, Greg Hopkins, Hal Crook, The Artie Shaw Band under the direction of Dick Johnson, and many more. His recordings include "Where the Tenor Meets the Bone" and "Is It Minor Yours."

Mark Poniatowski is an Associate Professor in Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music. His extensive performing experience includes the Manchester Jazz and Blues Festival with the Toni Lynn Washington Band and the Boston Blues Festival with Joe Bargar and the Soul Providers, as well as with Sid Caesar, Floyd Dixon, Rita Moreno and Junior Watson. Poniatowski's recordings include Mississippi Moan with the Bruce Katz Band, More Than Live with Janiva Magness, The George Carlin Show soundtrack, Room for Two with April Hall, and a self-titled CD, The Mark Poniatowski Situation.

Ken Reid's credits include more than 30 years performing locally and internationally with touring bands such as the Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey Orchestras. Theater and show work includes Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, North Shore Music Theater, Cohasset Music Circus and Cape Cod Melody Tent. Reid has performed with artists including The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Billy Eckstine and Tony Bennett, as well as with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall, Tanglewood and the Esplanade.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. A cash bar is available. For tickets and more information, visit www.THEBLACKBOXonline.com or call (508) 528-3370.

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