Tag: Greenville Jazz Collective

GJC Big Band Ellington Nutcracker Suite at Poe Mill

Last year, the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band performed the Greenville premiere of the complete original score of the Duke Ellington re-creation of the Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite.  Since then one of our most asked questions has been “Are you all doing the Nutcracker again this year”?

Great news…last year’s premiere is becoming this year’s holiday tradition!  Make it yours!

In 1960 Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn arranged 9 of the original Tchaikovsky dances from his Nutcracker Suite for his big band.  But when Duke Ellington wrote for his band, he wrote every note with specific musicians (some of the greatest jazz musicians ever) in mind.

This places unusual demands on all the musicians in a band seeking to perform his Nutcracker Suite.  It’s not enough to just read the notes on the 3rd trumpet or lead alto part – each musician needs to create an interpretation that Duke might have expected from his great musicians like Ray Nance or Johnny Hodges.  That’s why this important work is rarely heard live and complete in its original score…it demands much from even the best of musicians!

The musicians of the Greenville Jazz Collective Big Band are stepping up to play the Ellington Nutcracker again this year.  And they will play a few other pieces of jazz holiday music as the perfect wrapper for this suite!  So it will definitely be a swinging, toe-tapping evening.

You’ll hear familiar melodies in a new way…even with new titles to match the imaginative twist put on them (can you guess what “Sugar Rum Cherry” is based on?).  Fanfares, tambourines, a bamboo whistle, and a hard-swinging rhythm section all make their appearances in this dreamworld “melting pot of musical styles past and present” (NY Times).  Truly, his 1960 Christmas gift for the ages!

Poe Mill Music is a performance venue (and recording studio) just over a mile northwest of downtown Greenville off of Pete Hollis (SC=183). (You’ve probably driven by it…but never noticed it).  Poe Mill is accessible (no steps) and offers plenty of onsite parking.

Admission is $30.00 through Eventbrite, or at the door until tickets are sold out (Poe Mill is smaller than last year’s venue, so the seats may go fast!)

GVL Jazz: Contemporary Quintet-Local Jazz Composers Concert

The GJC Quintet will showcase original jazz compositions by local musicians selected from contest submissions! Yep, you’ll be hearing world premieres of new music…and the only place and time to hear it will be at the Coffee Underground on November 11! And the Coffee Underground is the perfect listening room to take it all in.

The GJC Quintet is comprised of Matt Olson, Matt Dingledine, Keith Davis, Shannon Hoover, and Justin Watt.

Local jazz composers to be showcased are Josh Acree, Santiago Castañeda, Shannon Cox, Wendy Jones, Steve LaSpina, Mike Martin, Zachary Pruitt, Mark Rapp, and Adam Rose.

Student discount available

Jazz Jam at Fireforge Crafted Beer

Greenville Jazz Collective Sunday Jazz Jam at Fireforge

The long-running Greenville Jazz Collective Sunday Jazz Jam has a new home. We’re now in the Fireforge Crafted Beer Taproom at 311 E Washington St. in downtown Greenville!

Our Jazz Jam continues to run from 4-7pm on most Sundays.  It’s an open jam for musicians of all ages and skill levels interested in improvising jazz with a house band of local jazz professionals.

Not only is it a great place to play, it’s also a great place to relax on a Sunday afternoon and listen to some great jazz with no cover (contributions accepted), award winning beers, and amazing food and drink.

Jazz Underground: Joe Davidian Trio Tribute to Bill Evans (Greenville Jazz Collective)

The Greenville Jazz Collective Jazz Underground series presents the Joe Davidian Trio performing a tribute featuring the piano trio music of Bill Evans

Nearly all piano trios (piano, bass, and drums) playing today have somewhere “in their DNA” the sound of the many Bill Evans trios.  What you’ll hear instead from Joe and his trio is a deep exploration of the music of Bill Evans from Joe’s experience both as a performer (playing for a number of years in major NYC clubs) and an educator (he leads the Jazz Studio at the Fine Arts Center here in Greenville).

Bill had led other piano trios, but his 1960-1961 trio with bassist Scott LeFaro and drummer Paul Motian took the level of interplay between trio members to a level unseen before in jazz, culminating in a series of famous recordings in June 1961 at the Village Vanguard before Scott’s untimely death. For the next 20 years until his own death, Bill continued performing in a piano trio format with other major bassists and drummers…but always working with a great deal of interplay within the trio.

Needless to say, presenting a tribute to Bill Evans is a demanding exploration.  However, Joe has been exploring this great music for over 20 years, mastering the challenging dialog between piano, bass, and drums that the music of Bill Evans demands!  Joining Joe in this exploration are Shannon Hoover on bass and Rick Dilling on drums.  Both of them are uniquely suited to join Joe based upon their considerable musicality and subtlety.

The program will include repertoire from his entire piano career, but with a special focus on those magical years with Scott LeFaro and Paul Motian.  So this will be a great evening of jazz, important to hear and a joy to listen to, and aligning perfectly with the mission of the Greenville Jazz Collective!

They’ll be performing in our venue, the Coffee Underground Theater, which is an intimate listening room which also serves homemade desserts, delicious coffee from beans roasted on premises, and an assortment of teas, wine, and cocktails.

Jazz Jam at Fireforge Crafted Beer

Greenville Jazz Collective Sunday Jazz Jam at Fireforge

The long-running Greenville Jazz Collective Sunday Jazz Jam has a new home. We’re now in the Fireforge Crafted Beer Taproom at 311 E Washington St. in downtown Greenville!

Our Jazz Jam continues to run from 4-7pm on most Sundays.  It’s an open jam for musicians of all ages and skill levels interested in improvising jazz with a house band of local jazz professionals.

Not only is it a great place to play, it’s also a great place to relax on a Sunday afternoon and listen to some great jazz with no cover (contributions accepted), award winning beers, and amazing food and drink.