GET to Present Joe Gransden Band Concert Series Throughout 2014-15 Season

Georgia Ensemble Theatre (GET), North Fulton's only professional theatre company, is proud to announce that it will be presenting a series of big band concerts through the 2014-2015 season.

Popular musician Joe Gransden and His 16 Piece Big Band will perform five jazz concerts, each with a different theme, at GET's home in the Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell, GA 30075. A portion of proceeds from these concerts will benefit the non-profit professional theatre.

Single tickets for each concert are $20-$30 and are available online at www.get.org. Or call GET at 770-641-1260 to purchase the entire series at a discount.

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The Line-Up:

November 10, 2014, 8pm - SONGS OF SINATRA & FRIENDS

Swing out with Joe and his Big Band as they perform some of Frank Sinatra's biggest hits. Great songs such as "Fly Me to the Moon," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Luck Be a Lady," "I've Got the World On a String," and many more will be included in the evening's program.

December 17, 2014, 8pm - I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Let the sounds of your favorite holiday classics played by The Joe Gransden Big Band get you in a festive mood this December! With brand new arrangements by Wes Funderburk and Jeff Jarvis, this concert will have you tapping your toes all the way home!

March 9, 2015, 8pm - SOUNDS OF THE BIG BAND ERA

The 1930's and 40's was an historic time for American popular music. Folks around the world were dancing to the new sounds of swing! Come take a trip down memory lane as Joe and the guys recreate the stylings of Glenn Miller, Tomy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and many more.

April 13, 2015, 8pm - ONE O'CLOCK JUMP, THE SONGS OF COUNT BASIE

Count Basie led one of the greatest swing bands of all time. From "One O'Clock Jump" to "April in Paris," the hits just kept coming. Basie's reach was worldwide, and his music will be around forever. Joe and the guys are extremely excited to present this hopping show.

About Joe Gransden: At 42 Years old, Joe Gransden has already performed worldwide and released fourteen CDs under his own name. Renowned first for the hard bop approach of his trumpet, Gransden's singing voice has been compared to that of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra. "When I first heard Joe nine years ago, I immediately thought of Chet," says Jazziz magazine critic James Rozzi, "but lately his voice has taken on its own style with a deeper resonance. His trumpet has always alternated lyricism with an aggressive, angular approach. He has the ability to cover the gamut of emotions." Joe is from just north of Manhattan, New York. Coming from a family full of musicians, Joe's introduction to music came early on through his father, a gifted singer and pianist. His grandfather was a trumpeter of merit, playing professionally his whole life throughout New York. On his mother's side of the family was the piano virtuoso Carmen Cavallero. Not long after high school, Joe was on the road as a sideman with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. A number of A.F.M. contracted sideman gigs include Barry White, The Moody Blues, Kenny Rogers, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, The Whispers, etc. Eventually moving to New York City, he performed with numerous groups, including sub work with Toshiko Akiyoshi and Chico O'Farrill at the famous Birdland Jazz Club. Meanwhile, Joe formed his own group, which performed in Brooklyn each week and included the venerable guitarist Joe Cohn and ex-Betty Carter bassist, Matt Hughes. In Atlanta, where Joe now plays steadily 5-6 nights a week in as many venues, his loyal following includes an array of people from blue-collar workers to upper crust businessmen and businesswomen who all share a love of good music. Like many developing jazzmen, Gransden's early influences, which include Kenny Dorham and Miles Davis, were easily recognizable in his playing throughout his formative years. "Emulating the jazz greats is always the very first step," says the historically-rooted Gransden. "But obviously, in order to be true to myself-who I am, what I believe in, my family background-I need to have a sound that's my own. It's taken me until recently to hone in on that voice and explore its potential."

ABOUT GEORGIA ENSEMBLE THEATRE: The Georgia Ensemble Theatre and Conservatory provides quality theatre productions and arts education to the north metro Atlanta area. The Company annually produces five mainstage productions, attended by more than 30,000 patrons, as well as three Theatre for Youth productions and year-round classes for all ages. Up next at GET: The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance, directed by David Crowe, running October 30-November 16, 2014, and sponsored by Macy's. For more information and tickets, visit us online at www.get.org.

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