The Grammy-Winning Trumpeter Returned with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
(Houston, December 5, 2018) The Houston holiday season kicked off with a yuletide swing this year. Jazz Houston presented The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with Wynton Marsalis for “Big Band Holidays,” on Saturday, December 1, 2018 at the Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston. Over 1200 guests were entertained by the sounds of holiday jazz!
“Houston loves Jazz Music, and came out to swing in the holidays”, says Vincent Gardner, artistic director for Jazz Houston and a member of the JLCO. “The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis played with soul and precision, featured inventive new arrangements and masterful performances of holiday classics. I was happy to perform with them for our hometown crowd, and Jazz Houston looks forward to the next opportunity to host the JLCO in Houston,” says Gardner.
The jazzy Christmas show delivered big band sounds with a mixture of sacred and secular songs that put audiences in the mood for the season. Special guest vocalists Veronica Swift and Vuyo Sotashe added to the sound with vibrant new versions of “Merry Christmas Baby,” and “White Christmas.”
“This was a fresh new addition to Houston’s holiday concert offerings, and the 1200-plus attendees that came to swing with the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis loved every note”, says Belinda Munro-Gardner, Jazz Houston board secretary and operations director. “The Orchestra never fails to deliver, being full of outstanding soloists and arrangers. Jazz is alive and well in H-Town, and Jazz Houston will continue to present the best Jazz programming and education for our great city,” says Munro-Gardner.
The proceeds from this show will support programs that Jazz Houston conducts throughout the year. Last spring Jazz Houston’s education programs included presenting more than 30 after-school Jazz education seminars held in District K library locations, and the Young People’s Concert entitled “Who is Ella Fitzgerald?”. The interactive show was performed at Westbury High School and introduced and educated teens on the celebrated jazz artist and her music.
For more information or to book the Jazz Houston Orchestra for your upcoming event visit www.jazzhouston.org or call 832-384-8618. About Jazz Houston: Jazz Houston is a 501 c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the cultivation of jazz music globally through Performance, Education, and Community Outreach, and honors the Houstonians and Texans who have and continue to be major contributors to Jazz through the celebration of their legacies and the performance of
Vincent and Belinda Gardner and Wynton Marsalis Vincent Gardner, Artistic Director Jazz Houston and Member of Jazz at Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
