The distinctive music of the Big Band era returns to the Golden Triangle Friday, Feb. 12. Gill Harris and the all-pro Big Band Theory will perform at Trotter Convention Center in Columbus in a concert and dance that begins at 8 p.m.
Vocalists Denise Reid and Roger Burlingame are featured with the orchestra consisting of top-tier musicians, said Harris of Columbus.
“Our musicians are carefully selected from the top talent in the land,” he continued. “Most of them play coast to coast for name entertainers.” Some of the orchestra members from out of state have played for artists including Wayne Newton, Natalie Cole, The Temptations and many other acts. “And many of the musicians from Mississippi hold Ph.D.s in music. Many teach music. It is a power house of talent,” Harris said.
The concert will usher in Valentine’s Day weekend with selections from Big Band standard bearers including Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and Count Basie.
Harris has had a long affinity with Big Band’s layered textures, harmonies and rhythms. He began playing trumpet as a teenager in his school band and went on to play in the Army Band in Atlanta. Music wasn’t his only focus. He studied civil engineering and moved to Columbus in 1962 to join Ceco Building Systems as the firm’s director of engineering. Many of the 200 or so arrangements or charts for the classic big band numbers he treasures were discovered in music stores he visited while traveling for business.
From the 1970s until the mid-1980s, Harris conducted a popular big band orchestra in the area. In 2009, he committed himself to resurrecting the Swing Era’s signature sound so prevalent in the 1930s and 1940s. The Big Band Theory’s events held several times since then have drawn fans from not only the Golden Triangle but surrounding areas as well for a unique evening of music and dancing.
Tickets
Tickets are available at the Columbus Arts Council’s Rosenzweig Arts Center at 501 Main St. in downtown Columbus. Or call 662-328-2787 Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Seats at tables are $35 in advance, or $40 at the door. Tables for up to 10 people may be reserved in advance for $280. Payment must be by checks payable to Big Band Theory, or by cash. Soft drinks, ice and set-ups will be available at a cash bar.
The event is made possible, in part, by Ceco Building Systems, Reed’s and Trustmark Bank.
Optional dinner
An optional reserved, pre-concert dinner at The Southern at 513 Main St., a block from Trotter Convention Center, is available. Seating is at 6:15 p.m., with a menu prepared by Table of Plenty. Make dinner reservations by calling 662-364-3021.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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