Count Basie News

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents great stories told through music in "The Sound of Stories: Harry Potter & More" family concerts on May 11 at NJPAC in Newark.

State Theatre New Jersey and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra present Mary Poppins in Concert on Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 3pm. In this special screening of the Disney classic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra performs the score live as the film plays. At 2pm, there is a pre-show singalong on the second floor lobby of the State Theatre for all ticketed patrons. Tickets range from $35-$125.

The Afro Latin Jazz Alliance is proud to announce The Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University is now the permanent home of the Arturo 'Chico' O'Farrill Music and Personal Archives. This marks the acquisition of the first major Latin jazz archival collection in the Institute's 60-year history. The collection contains O'Farrill's original music manuscripts, photographs, and sound recordings documenting his prolific career as a composer, arranger, and bandleader. Famed compositions such as 'Afro Cuban Jazz Suite,' 'Manteca Suite,' 'Carambola,' and 'Cuban Episode,' among others, are included in this acquisition for the Institute. The Institute is thrilled to add O'Farrill's illustrious archives to its collection to celebrate Chico's monumental impact in jazz during his lifetime.

Having seen Audra McDonald's Tony Award winning Broadway performance of Billie Holiday in 'Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill,' I went to see the Beck production of the show with trepidation.

Witness the unforgettable jazz musician Byron Stripling's electrifying performance in 'Sounds of New Orleans: A Tribute to Louis Armstrong' with the National Philharmonic, led by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore's Concert Hall. Stripling got his start as the lead trumpeter in the Count Basie Orchestra and will perform Armstrong's greatest hits, including his signature version of When the Saints Go Marchin' In. Stripling will perform other Armstrong hits, including Saint Louis Blues, Statchmo Scattin' & Swingin', and What a Wonderful World. Stripling has performed as lead trumpeter and soloist with symphonies around the country, as well as at Carnegie Hall. Ticket prices are $10-$72. Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301.581.5100.

Birdland will kick-off their great week of programming with the following acts:

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra welcomes Simone Dinnerstein back to NJSO stages for performances of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 on a program that also includes the composer's Symphony No. 40, April 25-28. Music Director Xian Zhang conducts the concerts, which open with Walton's Suite No. 2 from Facade.

Joseph G. Kim Sexton, a student from Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School in Jersey City, was named State Champion at the 2019 New Jersey Poetry Out Loud (NJ POL) State Finals competition, part of the national poetry recitation program. The state finals took place Tuesday at The Grunin Center for the Arts at Ocean County College. Joseph will now move on to represent New Jersey at the national finals in Washington, DC to compete against champions from every state and territory, all vying for the national title and the chance to win prizes including college scholarships.

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company (Calpulli) will premiere'Puebla: The Story of Cinco de Mayo' (Puebla) at Queens Theatre on April 13 - 14, followed by a national tour with performances in Texas, Georgia and New Jersey. The Queens-based Company, now in its 16th year, received a national award from the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) making the new production possible. Under the artistic direction of Alberto Lopez Herrera, 'Puebla' tells a universal tale of the underdog fighting impossible odds. The setting is the Battle of Puebla when a small army of Mexican soldiers and commoners defeated the French army, the strongest military force of the time, on the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), 1862. Through folkloric and contemporary dance, live music and elaborate costuming, the Company will elaborate on the history of the now-famous date and celebrate the culture and people of Puebla. Saturday, April 13th, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. Sunday, April 14th, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Queens Theatre Flushing Meadows Corona Park 4 United Nations Ave S, Corona, NY 11368

California Pops Orchestra, celebrating it's 30th season as the country's only all-request pops orchestra, joins forces with the Black Tie Big Band to perform Swingtime at the Pops at Flint Center for the Performing Arts. The Pops' Great American Big Band tribute and a perennial audience favorite features the hits of the 30's, 40's and beyond - when swing was the thing! This concert includes masters of yesteryear such as Ellington, Miller, Dorsey, Goodman, Artie Shaw as well as pieces from newer composers and musicians with the Big Band sound.

One of the Southwest's largest jazz festivals will return to Texas Christian University March 22-23, 2019, for its 42nd year, featuring legendary American jazz drummer Duffy Jackson to the exciting theme,  "Tribute to the music of Count Basie and Buddy Rich." The 2019 TCU Jazz Festival will host more than 700 middle and high school students at Ed Landreth Auditorium and PepsiCo Recital Hall during the annual competition, encompassing two days of performances from some of the most highly-regarded names in jazz, TCU ensembles and young artists from across the state.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Debussy's La mer and Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune alongside Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, March 7-10. Ingrid Fliter performs Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto; Jun Markl conducts.

Trav'lin - The 1930s Harlem Musical, a joyful celebration of the Jazz Age with a classic jazz and blues score, is receiving its regional premiere at The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities' Main Stage Theatre.  The show will run April 5 through 28 with the official opening on April 9.

Valencia College's School of Arts and Entertainment will celebrate the arrival of spring with a series of four free concerts in April.

After the powerful sincerity of his sold-out Ella, Louis & All That Jazz show in 2017, world-renowned trumpeter Byron Stripling returns to the The Philly POPS in Uptown Nights, March 1-3 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra presents Mary Poppins in Concert, April 12-14 in Red Bank, Newark and New Brunswick. The family-friendly symphonic cinema event features the five-time Oscar-winning Disney film unfolding on the big screen with the NJSO performing the Sherman brothers' award-winning musical score live.

Three-time Grammy winners Snarky Puppy bring their rip-roaring concert experience to the historic Royal Albert Hall on 14 November.

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra hosts its 2019 Spring into Music Gala on April 13 at NJPAC in Newark. The event includes cocktails, dinner, a silent auction and an NJSO performance of Mary Poppins in Concert. The gala's honoree is Investors Bancorp and Investors Bank Board of Directors Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Cummings.

Witness the unforgettable jazz musician Byron Stripling's electrifying performance in Sounds of New Orleans: A Tribute to Louis Armstrong, a pops concert with the National Philharmonic, led by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore's Concert Hall. Stripling got his start as the lead trumpeter in the Count Basie Orchestra and will perform Armstrong's greatest hits, including his signature version of When the Saints Go Marchin' In. Stripling will perform other Armstrong hits, including Saint Louis Blues, Statchmo Scattin' & Swingin', and What a Wonderful World. Stripling has performed as lead trumpeter and soloist with symphonies around the country, as well as at Carnegie Hall. Ticket prices are $20-$89. Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.nationalphilharmonic.org or call 301.581.5100.

The La Jolla Music Society continued its eclectic 50th anniversary season with 'Jazz in the Key of Ellison,' a multimedia concert at the Balboa Theatre featuring music made popular by author Ralph Ellison's favorite artists including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Thelonious Monk. Ellison loved jazz. He often wrote about it, and it plays an important role in Invisible Man, his best known work. Jazz influenced his approach to life. He said, 'The real secret of the game is to make life swing.'