Symphony to celebrate the Big Bands

From staff reports
Published: May 15, 2008

The Danville Symphony Orchestra will bring its season to a close with music from Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole and Count Basie, among others.
The concert, “Remember the Big Bands,” starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at George Washington High School, 701 Broad St., Danville.
Under the direction of Charles Ellis, the concert will celebrate the jazz and swing sound of the 1930s to the early 1960s, a style of music that ushered out the Great Depression and added some swinging style to the music scene.
The concert also will offer a chance for concertgoers to dance to some of the timeless music that etched itself into the national soundtrack, thanks to the stylish arrangements that the symphony, featuring more than 50 area musicians, will explore.
The concert will be highlighted by an array of classic songs, including Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind” and “Heart and Soul,” Duke Ellington’s “C Jam Blues” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” Count Basie’s “Cute,” “Serenade in Blue” — from the movie “Orchestra Wives,” the last film to feature the Glenn Miller Band — Stan Kenton’s “Artistry in Rhythm,” the nostalgic classic “Sentimental Journey” and the Miller masterpieces “Moonlight Serenade” and “In the Mood.”
For more information on the Danville Symphony Orchestra’s salute to the Big Bands, the last show of the symphony’s 2007-2008 season, visit http://www.danvillesymphony.net or call (434) 797-2666.