SPARTANBURG — Greenville Jazz Collective’s Big Band will perform at Chapman Cultural Center Friday, Jan. 8, at 7:30 p.m. This will be the first of three concerts in Chapman’s Winter Jazz Series 2016. The Series is sponsored by JM Smith Corporation, and all proceeds benefit Chapman’s arts education program.

Greenville Jazz Collective is a non-profit organization started in 2012 by highly respected members of the jazz community in Greenville. Through education outreach in the community and regular performances in an environment that is best suited for listening, the mission of the Collective is to create a greater awareness and appreciation for jazz music and history in the Upstate for generations to come. Along with its Big Band, Contemporary Quintet, and Education Outreach Program, the Collective sponsors the big band stage at Our World Festival every year, and operates a summer jazz camp in partnership with Furman University. The Collective is committed to providing the community with robust and innovative jazz events and offerings.

The Collective’s Big Band is guided by Music Director Shannon Hoover and Big Band Director Brad Jepson. It comprises the best jazz musicians in the Upstate, who donate their time simply for the love of big band music. With a commitment to the highest possible musical standards, the Big Band is dedicated to exploring the vast repertoire that showcases the unique artistic and musical medium that is big band jazz. While paying homage to great composers and bandleaders such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Charles Mingus, the band also features original compositions by band members and modern composers such as Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue, and Alan Ferber. The musical selections for the Jan. 8 concert will be announced from the stage. To sample the Collective’s Big Band music, please visit GreenvilleJazzCollective.com.

“Big band music has always been very popular here at Chapman Cultural Center,” Marketing Director Steve Wong said. “We welcome the Greenville Jazz Collective and know the Big Band will have a great show. This is just the first of three jazz concerts this season, and we hope to see all the jazz lovers in the region come out. Jazz is considered to be a truly American art form, and we at Chapman are all about celebrating the best music being produced in the Upstate and across the nation.”

Tickets are $10 per person and can be purchased online at ChapmanCulturalCenter.org or by calling (864) 542-ARTS. The other jazz concerts in the series will be on Thursday, Jan. 31, featuring Mill Town Brass Band, and Friday, Feb. 19, featuring Spartanburg Jazz Ensemble.

Courtesy photo The Greenville Jazz Collective’s Big Band will perform this Friday (Jan. 8) at 7 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_greenville-collective-jazz-big-band.jpgCourtesy photo The Greenville Jazz Collective’s Big Band will perform this Friday (Jan. 8) at 7 p.m. at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg.