South Orange Performing Arts Center Presents Dizzy Gillespie All Stars

We've all been missing a really kicking, spirited and thoroughly professional performance in a beautiful theater. Wait no longer! The Dizzy Gillespie All Stars is all that- and more- as they take the virtual stage at the South Orange Performing Arts Center Thursday, February 25 at 7:30PM. Featuring Cyrus Chestnut, Freddie Hendrix, John Lee, Steve Davis and Tommy Campbell, these consummate Jazz musicians extol the loveliness and liveliness of their music with every song they bring to beautiful life.

The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Bands are direct descendants of trumpet master Dizzy Gillespie and happily, the tradition lives on nurtured by Gillespie alumnus, executive director and producer, bassist John Lee. Together they continue to delight audiences around the world with the enduring power and freshness of Dizzy Gillespie's music that took music-lovers by storm in the last century as jazz recordings spread the popularity of this genre like wildfire. This is the legacy the master would have wanted-and a living tribute from the many extraordinary musicians in this group who exemplify his style, range, passion and commitment. John Lee had a close association with Dizzy, serving as his bassist for the last decade of Dizzy's life, in his small groups as well as the Grammy Award winning United Nation Orchestra and Dizzy's classic Big Band.

The Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars debuted in 1996, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band in 1998 and the latest venture celebrating Dizzy Gillespie's music debuted in the fall of 2012, the Dizzy Gillespie Afro-Latin Experience.

The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Bands feature some of Dizzy's close compatriots as well as some of the fastest rising next generation talents in Jazz today.

2019 Grammy Award winner and Dizzy Gillespie's long-time bassist, John Lee, leads the All-Star Bands for this special SOPAC Sessions concert, he has brought together a few of the All-Stars: Cyrus Chestnut on piano, Freddie Hendrix on trumpet and flugelhorn, Steve Davis on trombone and Tommy Campbell on the drums.

Tickets are $10, and free for SOPAC members. To purchase tickets, contact SOPAC at (973) 313-2787 or visit https://www.sopacnow.org/events/the-dizzy-gillespie-all-stars/. The Box Office is currently available by phone M-F, 12-4 p.m.