THE BAND'S FINAL CONCERT OF THE SEASON IS TUESDAY, APRIL 27 AT THE PETROLEUM CLUB IN DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY. Pages Blue Devils, the Bennie Moten Band and the Count Basie Orchestra. 'I'm prejudiced, but I think we oughta pay the guys,' laughed Kidwell. From the 1920s to 50s, Oklahoma Citys own blues shouter and swing jazz singer. The group is pursuing non-profit status, and seeking out all possible funding sources. But that's something that Kidwell believes will happen soon enough. The musicians all realized that to get the program up and running, certain sacrifices needed to be made. The orchestra is all-volunteer at this point. 'And I would like to see the guys get something for it.' 'I hope that this orchestra can stay together long enough to see some growth and be patient with that growth,' said Kidwell. Its first two concerts were near-sellouts. If its first two concerts are any indication, the band might be on the right track. 'With the caliber of players that we have sitting in this band, it's possible.' 'We've tried to be rather conservative in our beginning year and do only three concerts and each one of them have two rehearsals,' said Kidwell. Kent Kidwell, a fixture on the Oklahoma jazz music scene for the past 40 years, is the group's music director. to 6 p.m. Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra Tickets 2022, Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra Tour Dates 2022, Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra Schedule 2022 As one of the most reliable and trusted sources for premium event seating and Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra tickets, we offer a comprehensive and user-friendly platform for all our customers. That's not such a tall order, unless you factor in only two practices before each concert.ĭr. The Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra coordinated the effort that has brought together businesses, music fans and school patrons to replace instruments destroyed when the May 20 tornado devastated Highland East Junior High School. The group, which organized just last year and plans on performing three concerts per season. The organizers came up with a 'short list' of talented musicians to make up the big band, and to their surprise, found them available. 'It just came time that, four guys, it was important enough to us to spend the time to get it rolling.' 'Everybody's busy and everybody has their own schedules and their own lives,' said Leonard. Leonard is one of the orchestra's members along with Michael Anderson, Kirk Palmer, and Chris Hicks. 'I think years ago, back in the '80s when I was in college, we had what was called the Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra that was kinda based around Oklahoma City University,' said Eric Leonard, a trombone player in the newly formed group. The Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra is the latest incarnation of big band music in Oklahoma. So why don't we have a big band presence now? Well we do, although you may not have heard of them yet.

Count Basie, Charlie Christian and other music greats all spent time playing in the state. OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City has a storied jazz history.

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