The Philly POPS To Offer Complimentary Tickets To Furloughed Government Workers

The Philly POPS will offer free tickets for furloughed government employees during the federal government shutdown. Government employees may present their IDs at the Kimmel Center Box Office to receive one free, complimentary pair of tickets to JAZZED! running January 18, 19 and 20 (One pair per Government-issued employee ID).

The Philly POPS presents JAZZED! The Philly POPS BIG Band with Terell Stafford, a swinging program honoring Philadelphia's unique contributions to the history of jazz, January 18-20 at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. This performance is a part of The Philly POPS 40th Anniversary Season, which celebrates artists and music with connections to Philadelphia and the POPS.

Internationally-acclaimed and Philly-based trumpeter Terell Stafford joins three-time Grammy-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, University of the Arts graduate Alita Moses and The Philly POPS BIG Band, under the direction of Matt Gallagher, for a program exploring jazz music of the '40s and '50s, with a special emphasis on artists who made their mark on jazz in Philadelphia, such as John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Billie Holiday, Grover Washington Jr. and Dizzy Gillespie.

The program includes "Cottontail," "Oh Lady Be Good" and "God Bless The Child"-tunes which would have been familiar at Philadelphia's storied jazz clubs, like Showboat, Bijou and Pep's Musical Bar. During the performance, Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform songs by Billie Holiday and Alita Moses will perform songs by Jill Scott.

www.phillypops.org/jazzed

The Philly POPS Subscription Series is made possible thanks to 40th Anniversary Season Sponsor, PARX Casino.

About Terell Stafford
Terell Stafford has been hailed as "one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player" by piano legend McCoy Tyner. Stafford is recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, combining a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Stafford's exceptionally expressive and well-defined musical talent allows him to dance in and around the rich trumpet tradition of his predecessors while making his own inroads.

Since the mid-1990s, Stafford has performed with groups such as Benny Golson's Sextet, McCoy Tyner's Sextet, Kenny Barron Quintet, Frank Wess Quintet, Jimmy Heath Quintet and Big Band, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band. Stafford, with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, performed on Diana Krall's Grammy-nominated From this Moment On (2006). John Clayton invited Stafford to perform with the Clayton Brothers Quintet and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Stafford is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, which was awarded a Grammy in 2009 for Best Large Ensemble, "Live at the Village Vanguard."

Stafford can be heard on over 130 albums. His latest recording This Side of Strayhorn has been hailed as "the first must-have album of 2011" and "genius." Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP). Stafford is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades.

Stafford was born in Miami and raised in Chicago, Illinois and Silver Spring, Maryland. He received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Maryland in 1988 and a Masters of Music from Rutgers University in 1993.

About Dee Dee Bridgewater
Over the course of a multi-faceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in reenvisioning jazz classics. Ever the fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time Grammy-winner recently won the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee.

Bridgewater's career has always bridged musical genres. Her first professional experience was as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band, and throughout the 1970s she performed with such jazz notables as Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Dizzy Gillespie. After a foray into the pop world during the 1980s, she relocated to Paris and began to turn her attention back to jazz. Signing with Universal Music Group as a producer (Bridgewater produces all of her CDs), Bridgewater released a series of critically acclaimed titles beginning with Keeping Tradition in 1993. All but one, including her wildly successful double Grammy Award-winning tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Dear Ella, have received Grammy nominations.

Bridgewater also pursued a parallel career in musical theater, winning a Tony Award for her role as Glinda in The Wiz in 1975. Having recently completed a run as the lead role of Billie Holiday in the off-Broadway production of Lady Day, her other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen, Cabaret, and the Off-Broadway and West End Productions of Lady Day, for which Bridgewater received the Laurence Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

About Alita Moses

Alita Moses is a young, rising star establishing herself as virtuosic vocalist, songwriter, and entertainer in many styles and settings. She has graced the stage with Al Jarreau at the Montreux Jazz Festival, backed pop sensations such as Shawn Mendes and Vic Mensa, recorded with members of the Christian McBride Big Band, and was most recently featured on Grammy-winning trumpeter Nabate Isles' newest album. In the midst of all this, she maintains a career as a front woman for myriad bands of varying styles, such as Lohai (an electronic soul duo), Hudson Horns (a collaborative brass band), and her own self-titled project-reminiscent of Emily King and Lianne La Havas.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Alita experienced many facets of the performing arts thanks to her parents, both successful vocalists in their own right, and the incredibly artistic community of West Hartford. From there, she continued her studies at the Univeristy of the Arts, graduating with a BM in Jazz Vocal Performance and making herself known in the Philly music scene.

As of late, Alita is based in New York City, performing locally and internationally at legendary venues, clubs, and music halls. Whether on the stage or in the studio, she brings a natural warmth to each performance and astounds audiences with grace, soul, and a musical maturity beyond her years.

Keep an eye out for her debut album scheduled to be released this fall.

About Christian McBride

Six-time GRAMMY-winning jazz bassist Christian McBride can be likened to a force of nature, fusing the fire and fury of a virtuoso with the depth and grounding of a seasoned journeyman. Powered by a relentless energy and a boundless love of swing, McBride's path has described a continuous positive arc since his arrival on the scene. With a career now blazing into its third decade, the Philadelphia native has become one of the most requested, most recorded, and most respected figures in the music world today.

Raised in a city steeped in soul, McBride moved to New York in 1989 to pursue classical studies at the Juilliard School. There he was promptly recruited to the road by saxophonist Bobby Watson. Call it a change in curriculum: a decade's worth of study through hundreds of recording sessions and countless gigs with an ever-expanding circle of musicians. He was finding his voice, and others were learning to listen for it. Currently he hosts and produces "The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian" on SiriusXM satellite radio and National Public Radio's "Jazz Night in America," a weekly radio show and multimedia collaboration between WBGO, NPR and Jazz at Lincoln Center, showcasing outstanding live jazz from across the country.

Completing the circle is his work with Jazz House Kids, the nationally recognized community arts organization founded by his wife, vocalist Melissa Walker. Exclusively dedicated to educating children through jazz, the "Jazz House" concept brings internationally renowned jazz performers to teach alongside a professional staff, offering students a wide range of creative programming that develops musical potential, enhances leadership skills, and strengthens academic performance. This shared celebration of America's original musical art form cultivates tomorrow's community leaders and global citizens while preserving its rich legacy for future generations.

About The Philly POPS BIG Band

The POPS BIG Band is composed of 18 musicians - saxophones, trumpets, trombones, drums, piano, guitar and bass. The BIG Band plays swing and jazz and has expanded its repertoire into all kinds of popular music from Latin to blues and rock. The Philly POPS BIG Band members were chosen for their passion for popular music. Each is also a teaching artist, adept at instructing the next generation of musicians.

The new Philly POPS BIG Band debuted on July 4, 2017 with two performances during the city of Philadelphia's Wawa Welcome America 2017 festival. In the morning, the ensemble played at the Celebration of Freedom ceremony and parade on Independence Mall. In the evening, the BIG Band opened the city's Wawa Welcome America July 4th Concert and Fireworks show on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. NBC10 and Telemundo62 televised both performances.

The Philly POPS BIG Band is led by Matt Gallagher, principal trumpet for the POPS. He is an associate professor at University of the Arts and is one of the most sought-after trumpet players on the East Coast. He has performed with Broadway show production and such world-class organizations as the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He's appeared with Aretha Franklin and Diana Krall, among many others and recorded with Céline Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson and LL Cool J.

About The Philly POPS
The Philly POPS, the largest standalone pops orchestra in the United States, delights audiences with the inspired performance of American popular music. The POPS celebrates this distinctive musical heritage through an expanding repertoire of innovative concert performances and a robust set of educational and engagement initiatives.

Now celebrating its 40th Anniversary Season, the POPS, the official POPS orchestra of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia's partner in civic celebration, serves a consistently growing audience of over 200,000 annually. Music Director Michael Krajewski and the 65-piece Philly POPS orchestra keep listeners tapping their toes to an impressive repertoire of songs from American traditional music up through to today's chart-toppers. The Philly POPS BIG Band, an 18-20 piece ensemble performing a rock and rhythm and blues repertoire, premiered in 2017 to enthusiastic response at the July 4 Welcome America Concert on the Parkway.

Outside the concert hall, free Salute Series performances - including Memorial Salute, July 3 POPS on Independence, July 4 POPS on the Parkway and the I'll Be Home for Christmas: A Salute to the Military and First Responders concert - celebrate the American tradition of service around important national holidays. POPS in Schools enhances music education for Philadelphia School District students; POPS Outside brings POPS music to local communities. The Philly POPS performs as a founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and at venues throughout the mid-Atlantic region.