Saturday, December 12, 2015 - 2:00pm
1707 16th Street Vero Beach, FL 32960
Space Coast Symphony Jazz Orchestra
Patrick Hennessey, Jazz Director
The Space Coast Jazz Orchestra will present two iconic Christmas albums, A Stan Kenton Merry Christmas and Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker. The professional jazz orchestra will present big band arrangements of holiday classics from the legendary Stan Kenton Christmas Album including "O Holy Night," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," "Angels We Have Heard on High," "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and more. The second half of the concert will feature Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite which transforms Tchaikovsky’s classic into a jazz expression. Ellington and writing partner Bill Strayhorn created this hybrid album in the 1960s. Hailed as the two greatest Christmas big band arrangements of all time coupled with this spectacular group of musicians, this entertaining program will keep you on the edge of the seat all night.
Artist Information
The Space Coast Symphony Jazz Orchestra (SCSJO) was a natural collaboration between the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra’s Artistic Director, Aaron Collins, and Director of Jazz Studies at Stetson University, Dr. Patrick Hennessey. Collins and Hennessey both wanted to bring the same type of unique and challenging music to the jazz audiences as the symphony brings to the orchestral audiences. The Space Coast Symphony Jazz Orchestra was formed as a vehicle to create performance opportunities for jazz musicians in a big band setting. Featuring some of the best jazz musicians in the Southeast United States, the SCSJO is considered one of Florida’s finest jazz orchestras and a model for success, presenting big band jazz and innovative programming to thousands each year.By incorporating contemporary arrangements into its repertoire, the SCSJO promotes the future of big band jazz and promotes the lively, adventurous spirit that will keep audiences coming back again and again.