This should be a great show. Two of the remaining giants playing together.
The Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band
Frank Wess 90th Birthday Celebration
Conducted by Roy Hargrove
with Jimmy Heath, Cyrus Chestnut, Lewis Nash, and Roberta Gambarini
Mon, Jan 2
7:30pm & 9:30pm
Cover: $30
Students: $10 with valid student ID
This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the NEA Jazz Masters, the nation's highest honor in jazz. So it's fitting that the first performance of 2012 kicks off with the 90th birthday celebration of one giant tenor saxophonist among us--Frank Wess, himself a 2007 NEA Jazz Master and the man who single-handedly changed the way the flute is heard in big bands. And, what better honor than to have that celebration with one of the best big bands around, named for one of the first NEA Jazz Masters in 1982--John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie. Special appearance by Frank Wess on tenor saxophone, flute. Roy Hargrove, Frank Green, Greg Gisbert, Claudio Roditi, trumpets; Steve Davis, Jason Jackson, Michael Dease, Douglas Purviance, trombones; Antonio Hart, Mark Guess, alto saxophones; Jimmy Heath, tenor saxophone; Frank Wess, tenor saxophone, flute; Andres Boyarsky, tenor saxophone, clarinet; Frank Basile, baritone saxophone; Yotam Silberstein, guitar; Cyrus Chestnut, piano; John Lee, bass; Lewis Nash, drums; Roberta Gambarini, vocals