Duke Ellington's Such Sweet Thunder comes to Reno, Lake Tahoe
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 05/26/2016 - 11:37am
Event Date:
July 30, 2016 (All day) Get ready for two swinging nights this summer as the 17-piece Reno Jazz Orchestra presents “Such Sweet Thunder” - an evening that features the music of Duke Ellington on July 30 at Wingfield Park in Reno, NV, and at Sand Harbor State Park on the edge of Lake Tahoe’s north shore on Monday, August 1.
During these two-hour family friendly shows the Reno Jazz Orchestra will perform some of the Duke’s greatest compositions like Mood Indigo and In A Mellow Tone capped by a performance of his suite “Such Sweet Thunder” … infused with the works of William Shakespeare and featuring Lake Tahoe Shakespeare actors performing excerpts from 12 separate sonnets and plays.
Tickets for “Such Sweet Thunder” can be purchased on line at RenoJazzOrchestra.org. Both shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
“Inspired by the works of Shakespeare, Duke and co-writer Billy Strayhorn captured heroic, comedic, and tragic moments in a jazz suite,” noted Chuck Reider, Music Director for the Reno Jazz Orchestra. “It is a wonder to hear Shakespeare’s words followed by Duke’s expression of those words; truly magical. ”
According to Reider, producing this program was a “labor of love” as much of the music had to be transcribed from recordings and partial sketches provided by the Smithsonian Institute. “This is a rare gem in the Duke’s musical library,” noted Reider.
The RJO will also recreate the legendary performance of Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue as performed at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival.
The Reno Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece contemporary big band based in Northern Nevada. The band was formed in 1997 by musicians who have performed with acts such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Natalie Cole and Luciano Pavarotti.
Members have traveled with the likes of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Ray Charles, Buddy Rich, and Buddy Morrow.
“The motivation behind the Reno Jazz Orchestra is the desire to create great music in the grand tradition of the jazz big band stage performance,” said music director, Chuck Reider. “It's a motivation based upon the simple love of that grand sound and the rush and wonder of playing 17 pieces to a packed house.”
The EL Cord Foundation, Nevada Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works, Reno Gazette Journal, Healing Healthcare Systems, Thunder Rand & Co., and the RJO Band of 100 support this event.
For more information about the show visit RenoJazzOrchestra.org or call 775-372-6160.
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- $12
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