JAZZ50 Big Band Extravaganza Announced at Sheen Center

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, the arts center of the Archdiocese of New York, and New England Conservatory (NEC) present two of the most powerful big bands today as part of NEC Jazz50, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the NEC Jazz Studies program.

This event is a double-bill featuring Darcy James Argue's Secret Society and an NEC Alumni Big Band on Saturday, March 21 at 8:00PM in the Loreto Theater, 18 Bleecker Street (between Elizabeth and Mott Streets). Tickets, ranging from $37 to $57, are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, or in-person at The Sheen Center box office Monday to Friday from noon to 5:00PM.

"NEC is thrilled to be bringing its Jazz50 celebration to New York City, a mecca for jazz for generations," says NEC Jazz Studies Chair Ken Schaphorst. "Many of our alumni and faculty live and work in New York, so it wasn't difficult to put together an all-star alumni big band made up of many of the top jazz players in the world today. I can't wait to hear them blow the roof off The Sheen Center."

The program begins with three-time Grammy nominated Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, an 18-piece big band that features "a wholly original take on big band's past, present and future." (Seth Colter Walls, Newsweek). One of many prominent jazz composers to have studied with Bob Brookmeyer at NEC, the Vancouver-born, Brooklyn-based composer and bandleader has toured nationally and internationally with Secret Society, garnering countless awards and nominations and reimagining what a 21st-century big band can sound like.

Performing are Dave Pietro, Alejandro Aviles, Sam Sadigursky, John Ellis, Carl Maraghi (all winds); Seneca Black, Jonathan Powell, Sam Hoyt, Riley Mulherka, Adam O'Farrill (trumpets); Mike Fahie, Nick Grinder, Kalia Vandever, Jennifer Wharton (trombones); Sebastian Noelle (guitar); Glenn Zaleski (piano); Jorge Roeder (bass), Richie Barshay (drums); and composer-conductor Darcy James Argue.

The program concludes with a performance by the 18-piece all-star NEC Alumni Big Band, put together specially for this Jazz50 concert. Performing are some of the world's top jazz players including Sara Serpa on voice; Marty Ehrlich, Brian Landrus, Hery Paz, Kevin Sun, and Jeremy Udden on saxophones; Tony Kadleck, Kai Sandoval, David Neves, and Aaron Bahr on trumpets; Curtis Hasselbring, Josh Roseman, Chris Washburne, and Jennifer Wharton on trombones; Frank Carlberg on piano; Jerome Harris on guitar; Kim Cass on bass and Rich Barshay on drums.

To post a comment, you must register and login.