Count Basie Orchestra and Guest Singer Nnenna Freelon Perform September 29
September 12, 2007
Pianist and bandleader extraordinaire William "Count" Basie died in 1984, but the big band that carries his name and upholds his legacy still swings more than 70 years after its debut. The Count Basie Orchestra, directed by Bill Hughes and featuring guest singer Nnenna Freelon, performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
The concert features a first set with the orchestra performing arrangements associated with Basie, including classics such as "Corner Pocket" and "April in Paris." After the intermission, Freelon joins the 18-member big band to sing new arrangements of songs originally performed by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and other vocalists who toured with Basie.
Hear an exclusive podcast interview with Freelon, plus samples of her singing, at www.cpa.psu.edu/previews.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $36 for an adult, $21 for a University Park student and $29 for a person 18 and younger. Buy tickets online at www.cpa.psu.edu or by phone at (814) 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also on sale at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays), Penn State Tickets Downtown (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday), HUB-Robeson Center (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays) and Bryce Jordan Center (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays). A grant from the Penn State Student Activities Fee Funds makes University Park student prices possible.
Five of the band members, including bass trombonist and leader Hughes, have been members of the orchestra since before Basie died. The other players, many of them young and ultra talented, have mastered the Basie sound.
Hughes joined the orchestra in 1953, a year after the self-taught trombonist had graduated from the Howard University School of Pharmacy. The three-man section of Hughes, Benny Powell and Henry Coker was acclaimed as the best trombone section in jazz. Hughes accompanied Basie on the band's first tour of Europe and was part of the ensemble that recorded some of the orchestra's greatest hits. From 1957 to 1963 Hughes took a break from touring to help raise his family. Since his return to the road in 1963, he has been with the orchestra continually.
Freelon, who has earned the Billie Holiday and Eubie Blake awards, has been nominated for six Grammys. Her performance for President Bush at the White House aired on PBS in April 2007. The singer, who also has credits as a composer, producer and arranger, has released nine CDs that expand the limits of the jazz canon with songs that started as soul, gospel and pop tunes.
The orchestra has earned 17 Grammy Awards–most recently in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble category for Count Plays Duke (1999) and Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild (1997).
The band recorded its 2006 release, Basie is Back, live in Japan in October 2005. An album with Freelon, based on the material to be featured in the Penn State concert, is in the works.
Glenn and Nancy Gamble sponsor the performance. WPSU is the media sponsor. Artistic Viewpoints, an informal discussion featuring singer Nnenna Freelon is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379