Portland Ovations to Hold Big Band Holidays Concert

Portland Ovations swings into the spirit of the season with Big Band Holidays, a special concert featuring the unrivaled Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, on December 2, at 7:30 pm at Merrill Auditorium.

Bandleader and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis leads an all-star lineup featuring guest vocalists Denzal Sinclaire and Audrey Shakir, some of today's commanding new voices on the scene. A Juno Award nominee and National Jazz Award recipient, Sinclaire is regarded as one of the most dynamic voices in jazz, while Shakir is a bebop leader, with her scatting talents routinely compared to the great Ella Fitzgerald. The JLCO will debut new arrangements of familiar songs sacred and secular, from Count Basie's "Jingle Bells" to classics like "White Christmas" and "Zat You Santa Claus?"

"It's always a thrill to welcome Wynton and the JLCO back to our series," notes Aimée Petrin, Executive Director for Portland Ovations. "To hear these talented and generous musicians in a whole new context was an opportunity we couldn't wait to share with our audiences."

Every December for more than a decade, the critically acclaimed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis have toured - kicking off the holiday season with messages of peace and good cheer - while exploring the canon of holiday standards. Featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra's signature sense of swing, New Orleans-flavored nuances and deeply soulful and church-rooted grooves, these Big Band Holidays concerts have become a seasonal tradition across the country among jazz lovers and families.

Tickets for Big Band Holidays range from $41 to $63 for Ovations' Members and $45 to $70 for the general public. LL. Bean and Brann & Isaacson are generously sponsoring the performance, with MPBN and Bangor Daily News providing media support. To purchase tickets visit www.portlandovations.org, contact PortTIX at 207.842.0800 or visit the box office at Merrill Auditorium.