Enjoy an evening to celebrate the adventurous and wide-ranging musical legacy of renowned jazz bandleader and pianist Stan Kenton (1911-1979), who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.
Enjoy an evening celebrating the adventurous and wide-ranging musical legacy of renowned jazz bandleader and pianist Stan Kenton (1911-1979), who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.
On October 21, the MIM Music Theater will welcome the Stan Kenton Alumni Band for performances at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Led by Prescott resident and trumpeter Mike Vax, the Stan Kenton Alumni Band is comprised of many musicians who played in Kenton’s bands from 1956 to 1978.
Each year the band tours across the United States and performs some of the well-known music of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. In keeping with the late Kenton’s wishes, the band also performs new material written in the Kenton style, as well as original material written by members. The goal of the band is to showcase the importance of jazz heritage in America, share jazz music with younger generations, and perform meaningful and entertaining music.
Band leader Mike Vax has been leading bands for more than 45 years and his credits include being first trumpet, soloist, and road manager of the Stan Kenton Orchestra.
The 7 p.m. performance is already sold out, but tickets to the 9 p.m. performance are available from $30-$35 and may be purchased online at www.theMIM.org, by calling 480-478-6000, or onsite at the MIM Ticket Office.
To view the complete 2011-2012 concert season, visit www.theMIM.org. The MIM Music Theater Fall Concert Series is sponsored in part by Sanderson Lincoln, Sanderson Volvo of Phoenix, and Sanderson Ford.
As an added bonus, MIM is inviting Arizona Girl Scouts to attend the Stan Kenton Alumni Band sound check and a guided MIM Tour on October 21 at 3:30 p.m. Scouts will learn about the legacy of Stan Kenton and the genre of big-band music while watching the musicians prepare for the evening’s theater performances. Following the sound check, the scouts will enjoy a one-hour guided tour of the museum’s galleries. This experience satisfies requirements for the Making Music and Music Fan badge, among others. The cost is $10 per scout and one chaperone (free of charge) is required for every five scouts. To register, call 480.478.6000.
