In Tune

O ffi c i a l P u b l i c a ti o n o f C h a r l o tt e C o u n t y J a z z S o c i e t y , I n c
Volume 27, Issue 1
.
February – March 2016
LATIN JAZZ NIGHT FEBRUARY 8, 2016
Steve Uscher’s Tropical Jazz Group is known for
serving up soft, elegant, tropical-flavored jazz with
his frequent collaborator, Winnie Purple, on vocals
and percussion. With a background in both classical and jazz guitar, Uscher enjoys a longstanding
passion for the south of the border sounds of AfroCuban and Brazilian music. Joining are: Dan Miller
on trumpet; Papo Valentin on Percussion; Daniel
Navarro and Darrell Nutt, handling rhythmic duties
on bass and drums, respectively.
HARRY ALLEN QUINTET with singer REBECCA KILGORE
March 14, 2016
New York tenor saxophonist Harry Allen and his quartet will appear
at the March 14th Jazz Society concert with a special guest, vocalist
Rebecca Kilgore. Allen, a Swing Bros. recording artist has over 30
recordings to his name. Harry has performed at jazz festivals and
clubs worldwide, frequently touring the United States, Europe and
Asia. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, Hank
Jones, Frank Wess, Flip Phillips,Scott Hamilton, Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison, Kenny Burrell, Herb Ellis, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gus
Johnson, Terry Gibbs and Warren Vaché . He has recorded with Tony
Bennett, Johnny Mandel, Ray Brown, Tommy Flanagan, James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Jake Hanna and Al Foster among others.
Rebecca Kilgore has over 40 recordings to her credit. Some of her
most notable are with Dave Frishberg on piano. She regularly performs worldwide at jazz festivals, jazz parties and on jazz cruises. She is a frequent guest on National
Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” with Terry Gross, has appeared on “A Prairie Home Companion” and
with Michael Feinstein at Carnegie Hall.
Concerts begin at 7 pm, at the Cultural Center Theater, 2280 Aaron St., Port Charlotte.
Admission is FREE for CCJS members; $20 for non-members.
Tickets are available at the box office starting at 6:30 pm on concert night or in advance
through the box office at 625-4175 X 221. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
All That’s Jazz
Charlotte County Jazz Society
Diane Badalich
Bob Cook
John Harvey
Diane & Larry Lowy
Shirley & Bernard Ocarroll
David O’Fallon
Ronald & Holli Roberts
Sylvia Stuart
Claudia & Dennis Sykora
Michael & Susan Turner
Harold Wilson
Shirley & Bernard Adams
Judy & Vince Anderson
Barbara & Robert Barrett
Carol & Hugo Berntsson
Terry & Ennis Bisbano
Steve Bjorkman
Diane & Don Boesler
Joan & James Bondick
Bill Braatz
Carol & Charlie Burnett
Stephen Kaprelian & Billie Cohen
John Campbell
Doris Conboy
Linda & Albert Corrao
Shirley & Gerald Corrao
Sandra Davidson
Hilda Dillman
Jeanne & Raymond Dion
Judith & James DuMez
Susan Earle
Roland Edwards
Alice Esposito
Judith Falk
Chris Brown & Jerry Fitzgerald
Dean Fournier
Ken & Ann Franckling
Virginia & Charles Gemmell
Dolores & John Giorgi
Judi & Harvey Goldstein
Steve Graettinger
Jill & Phil Gray
Mary & Kenneth Greulich
Gretchen Hawkins & Robert Gray
Howard Guralnick
Mary Henriksen
Deanna & Dan Housfeld
Samantha Hultgren
Elizabeth Hustman
Barbara & Michael Hustman
Gail & Jerry Johnson
Linda Herendeen & John Johnson
Anna Julian
Edith Wellspring &
Ronald Kannheiser
Linda Duncan & Philip Katz
Pam Koontz
Carolyn & Jim Kellar
Bonnie & Edson Kerschke
Rudy Berndlmaler & Mike Land
Judy & Jerry Lasman
Moureen Larkin & Leonard Lewis
Sandra & Dennis Lundberg
Irene Rinke & Paul Mackey
Donald Gopsill & George Mattie
Kathleen McClay
Barbara Mendillo
Jane & Jack Moore
Bob Mueller
Carol & Robert Murray
Mary & Vincent Muto
Grayce Myers
Marilyn & Philip Natoli
Sharon & Ralph Oliver
Julius Palermo
Mike Parmalee
James Peirce
Arlevia & Harold Powell
Jeff Powers
Charlotte Quinn
Annette & Thurm Rasmussen
Carole & David Recchia
Virginia & Ben Reehl
Rudy Reinecke
Richard Lund & Helen Reynolds
Laura & Joe Salvo
Mary Lou Salzmann
Carol & John Schmuhl
Maria & Edward Sconzo
Jean Seyl
Joan & Joseph Skowyra
Nancy & Andrew Smith
Barbara & Ray Steinwehe
Tim Jeary & Mary Stumpf
Joan & Phil Tirino
Karen & Jack Traweek
Lucy & Alfred Tyminski
Diane Villano
Jim & Ellie Waller
Beverly & William Wareman
Joyce Watkinson
Agnes West
Beverly & George Westacott
William Wharton
Gisele Couture & Jim Willsey
Myrna & Steve Wishnick
Lori Witteck
Alice & Jim Zachos
Ernestine & David Zipoy
A REMINDER TO ALL SCHOOL BAND DIRECTORS
All directors, middle school, high school and college students will be given a FREE
pass to get into any CCJS concert. Please stop by the membership desk as you enter
the theater with your ID for your free pass for the evening.
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All That’s Jazz
Charlotte County Jazz Society
CCJS Supporters
forget to take advantage of our
CCJS email list.
Members and non-members alike can be
notified of all Jazz Society events
(concerts, jam sessions, jazz jams) as the
dates approach. If you want to be on our
email list, please send your name and email
address to Connie at:
Don't
Hipster: ($15-$49)
Steve Bjorkman
Ellie & Jim Waller
Beverly & George Westacott
Bopper: ($50-$99)
Doris Conboy
Samantha Hultgren
Anna Julian
[email protected]
Several members have suggested they
would rather get the newsletter by
email. If you would like to receive
your “In Tune” by email only, please
send me an email with your name and
that statement. I will then remove you
from the “postal” mailing list.
Membership questions call Connie:
941-235-9482
Cool Cat: ($100-$249)
Linda Duncan & Philip Katz
Alice & Jim Zachos
Big Band Swinger:($250-$499)
Dean Fournier
Avant-Garde: ($500 up)
In Tune is published four times a year (Oct., Dec.,
Feb., and April). We welcome pertinent articles,
letters and news items space permitting. Opinions
expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the CCJS.
[email protected]
If you would prefer to receive your In Tune by
email only, please send me an email stating that.
CCJS on the Web!
www.ccjazz.org
 Check the concert schedule
 Join the jazz society
 Preview upcoming
concerts and events
 Find out where your
favorite jazz artists
are playing
LIKE us on Facebook
www.facebook.com
J
S wingin ’
s!
J azz Jam
Directions for Port Charlotte
Golf Club: Take US 41 to the
light at Conway Blvd. Turn east
on Conway and follow for almost
two miles until you see the sign
on your right for the Port Charlotte Golf Club. Turn right at the
sign onto Gleneagles Terrace,
follow for about 100 yards to the
club entrance.
am sessions are on the LAST Sunday of
these months (Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Apr)
Jam Session for March will be on
March 20. All jams will be held from 1-4
pm at the Port Charlotte Golf Club, 22400
Gleneagles Terrace. “We’re all about jazz.”
Come sit in or just sit and enjoy.
Tickets are FREE for members, and $5 for
non-members. Food and drinks are available for purchase. Call Fred Capitelli
(941) 743-2157 for more information.
Hotline (941) 766-9422 & www.ccjazz.org
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All That’s Jazz
Charlotte County Jazz Society
Jazz Legacy Big Band hits the mark
The calendar added interesting twists to bandleader David Pruyn’s top-flight Jazz Legacy Big
Band return visit to the Charlotte County Jazz Society’s concert series. The Monday, December
14 event in Port Charlotte fell two days after the centennial of Frank Sinatra’s birth – and 11
days before Christmas.
Pruyn is one of Florida’s most versatile musicians. He
sings, he plays trumpet and plays drums, although he left
the time-keeping on this gig to drummer Barry Smith. He
spent more time than planned on the microphone due to
the health-related absence of Sinatra vocal doppelganger
Walt Andrus.
The first set at the Charlotte Cultural Center primarily featured the big band and
its guest vocalists performing material from Ol’ Blue Eyes’ songbook, much of it
from his time with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in the early 1940s at the start
of his five-decade career. Highlights included trombonist Greg Nielsen’s spotlight feature on “All The Way,” Pruyn’s vocal interpretation of “The One I Love
Belongs to Somebody Else” and alto saxophonist Valerie Gillespie’s feature on
the Ray Noble composition “I Hadn’t Anyone ‘Til You.”
Patricia Dean
David Pruyn
Guest vocalists Michelle Pruyn (Dave’s wife), Michelle Amato and Suzy Park, who often work together as “The
Swing Sisters,” joined the leader to reprise the sound of The Pied Pipers, with whom Sinatra performed and recorded during his years with the Dorsey band. Their takes on “I’ll Never Smile Again” and The Pied Pipers first hit,
“Dream,” were sublime as their voices blended exquisitely.
The second half of the show
was devoted to the music of the
season, including “Happy Holidays” and “Let It Snow!” (an odd
wish for Florida perhaps) and a
wonderful duet by the Pruyns on
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” David
Pruyn also reprised two songs
written by Mel Tormé – “The
Christmas Song,” a classic first
recorded by Nat King Cole, and
“The Christmas Feeling.” Pruyn
performed the latter, lesserknown tune with just the spare
backing of pianist Stan Collins.
Stu Shelton
Park, Amato, M. Pruyn, D. Pruyn
Valerie Gillespie
The three guest singers each had solo spotlights that went far beyond the harmony duties required to get that The
Pied Piper sound. Suzy Park was featured on the Ella Fitzgerald hit “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” Michelle
Pruyn delivered a strong performance of “Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas,” and Michelle Amato dug deep into
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Michelle Pruyn was also featured in a fine duet with pianist Collins on the holiday
classic “White Christmas.”
While vocals dominated much of the
night, several strong instrumentals and
formidable arrangements showcased
the breadth of talent in Pruyn’s Tampa
Bay Area big band. The combined
sound revealed a band that goes far
beyond mere sight-reading of classic
charts. Their collective ability to convey
the nuances and dynamics of the music was quite something to behold.
Reprinted with permission from writer-photographer
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All That’s Jazz
Ken Franckling’s Jazz Notes blog.
Charlotte County Jazz Society
International jazz in more ways than one
The excellent and versatile Orlando-based drummer Eddie Metz Jr. brought his International Jazz Trio to Port Charlotte on
Monday, January 11 for a concert with more foreign tinges than just the trio's membership.
The band consists of Metz, Australian-born bassist and singer Nicki Parrott, and Italian-born pianist Rossano Sportiello. Metz
tends to get top billing on Florida tours because he lives here, but it really is a trio of equals. All three players contribute mightily to the group's dynamic sound and tune selection.
This was the band's third visit in five seasons to the Charlotte County Jazz Society's concert series. These musicians always
seem to unearth more little-heard gems and swing the heck out of them with their playful camaraderie and astonishing technique.
In addition to some standard fare from the jazz canon and the Great American Songbook, the evening also touched on some
decidedly foreign material in terms of composers or inspirations. That added Austria,
They opened with London-born pianist George Shearing's composition "She" before
showcasing Sportiello on two Ellington-related tunes: "The Sunset and the Mockingbird" (from Duke's "The Queen's Suite") and Mercer Ellington's little-heard "John Hardy's
Wife."
Other Sportiello gems included his take on Erroll Garner's "Misty," and a classical fantasie in which Italian-born composer Domenico Scarlatti's "Sonata in A major" segued
seamlessly into Shearing's "Lullaby of Birdland." The classically trained pianist also
shared Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and his customary Chopin medley, the latter
as the concert closer.
Rossano Sportiello
Parrott's charming vocals and creative bass playing are always
a crowd pleaser.Her vocal features included the Dinah Washington hit "What a Difference a Day Made," "It's a Good Day," English composer Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You" (sung in tribute to the late Natalie Cole), "La Vie en Rose"
and her concert staple, the Peggy Lee hit "Fever." Her vocals also shined on the band's version of the Ray Charles R&B hit "Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So" (with Peggy Lee's "love
him so" lyric variation).
The evening's highlight, in terms of crowd response from the crowd of 350+, was a
Sportiello solo piano segment that opened with a delicate exploration of "I Wish You Love."
It sequed into several tunes from the Austria-based "The Sound of Music" soundtrack. After
"Edelweiss," Metz and Parrott joined in for most of the exuberant final section, "Climb Every Mountain."
Metz's drum wizardry was showcased on "Shoe Shine Boy," a Sammy Cahn-Saul Chaplin
tune from the Count Basie songbook. In 1982, Metz spent six months as the drummer in the Basie
Nicki Parrott
band while he was still in college at William Paterson College. There's nothing like starting your career with the best. Decades later, Metz is still working with the best - and is one of Florida's most in-demand
jazz drummers.
Eddie Metz Jr.
Rossano Sportiello, Nicki Parrott, Eddie Metz Jr.
Reprinted with permission from writer-photographer
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All That’s Jazz
Ken Franckling’s Jazz Notes blog.
Charlotte County Jazz Society
Jazz At the Library-Free Concert-March 23
For the 10th year in a row, the Charlotte County Jazz Society, in collaboration
with the Charlotte County Library System presents Jazz at the Library.
The impromptu jazz concert at the Mid-County Regional Library is free to the
public.
Performing in this year's event will be vocalist Chris Brown, Matt Bokulic on
piano, Chuck Parr on drums, Mike Parmelee on sax and flute, Carl McVicker on
bass and Greg Nielson on trombone. The concert begins at 6 pm and lasts for an
hour and maybe a few minutes more. Arriving a little early is recommended as
seating is for 120 and usually fills up.
The Mid-County Regional Library is located at 2050 Forest Nelson Blvd, Port Charlotte 33952, just east
of US 41. Upon entering the front lobby area take an immediate right down the hallway to the last meeting room.
Robert James ‘Bob’ Guck, a long-time member and supporter of the Charlotte County
Jazz Society passed away peacefully at home Tuesday, December 1, 2015. He
had performed professionally as a bassist, playing both upright bass and bass
guitar in several bands for many concerts, music festivals and recording engagements. For over 14 years, Bob was an active member and business administrator of the Church of the Open Door, maintaining global business functions in
keeping with church vision and values to support church programs and ministries.
The Charlotte County Public Schools Honor Band performed on Friday Jan. 8 at CPAC. Band directors choose
the best of the best students from each of the seven secondary schools. Auditions were held at each of the
schools.
Clinicians for the evening were: Middle School-Mrs. Tamara Lewis from Sarasota and High School- Maestro
Raffaele Ponti from the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.
The students spent the entire day in rehearsal and then performed at 7:30 pm to parents,
school board officials, and the community.
Sponsors for the evening includedCharlotte County Jazz Society,
FAME- Friends for the Advancement of Music Education,
Suncoast Schools Credit Union, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and CCPS
REMEMBER CCJS IN YOUR WILL
Have you thought about leaving a gift for the Charlotte County Jazz Society in your will? Your gift, by
way of a bequest, helps ensure that the Jazz Society can continue its mission of preserving, promoting
and presenting live jazz music for the enjoyment of the public into the future. For more detailed information, please call the Jazz Hotline, 941-766-9422.
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All That’s Jazz
Charlotte County Jazz Society
C
A
P
F I
R T
E E
D L
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Local Jazz Beat
SwingThe Charlotte County Big Band
INGROOV JAZZ QUARTET
John Johnson, Director
performs a Jazz Mass on December 13,
2015 and then on the first Sunday of each
month starting January at 6:45 pm
Hope Lutheran Church
14200 Hopewell Avenue
(Gillot Blvd off 776,
then first right on service road)
Swingin’on
Mondays 7 pm
Celebrating Big Band Leaders of the 1940s
February 1 - Les & Larry Elgart
March 7 - Ray Anthony
April 4 - Maynard Ferguson
For more information, Fred Capitelli 941-743-2157
for more INGROOV events
The Charlotte County Jazz Society
Wants to thank Artist
Wanda Carter
For donating at each concert & jam one of
her many musical prints as a raffle item.
T
H
E
A
T
E
R
All proceeds going to
CCJS Scholarship Fund
Cultural Center of Charlotte County
2280 Aaron Street
Port Charlotte, FL 33952
Box Office 941-625-4175 X 221
$12 Reserved seats in advance
By phoning 941-625-4175 ex 221
JAZZ Monday thru Saturdays
at
The framed 5x7 prints feature musicians who
have played for the CCJS over the past many
years. We encourage you to support this raffle
as well as the 50/50.
JD’S BISTRO AND GRILL
1951 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte.
Mondays pianist Mickey Basil. 5 to 8 pm
Tickets $1 for 1
$3 for 5
$5 for 10
Tuesdays Danny Sinoff Trio with Danny on
piano & vocals, Sherrell McCants on bass and
Joe Bilardo on drums. 6:30 to 9:30 pm
Wednesdays Kitt and Mike Moran Quartet with
Kitt on vocals, Mike on piano, Dominic Mancini on
bass and Dane Hassan on drums. 6:30 to 9:30 pm
Thursdays Patricia Dean Trio with Patricia
Dean on drums & vocals, Stu Shelton on piano and
Dave Trefethen on bass. 6:30 to 9:30 pm
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
SINGLE $50 - COUPLE $90
Fridays Danny Sinoff Trio with Danny on piano
and vocals, Sherrell McCants on bass and Patricia
Dean on drums. 6:30 to 10 pm
1 CONCERT COSTS $20
for non-members
Saturdays Tony Boffa Jazz Quartet
6:30 to 10 pm
Members get 7 Concerts, 7 Jams
and other activities
Membership card active for 1 year from
the month that you join.
Call ahead for reservations 941-255-0994
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All That’s Jazz
P.O. Box 495321
Port Charlotte, Florida 33949
All That’s Jazz
2015-2016
Concert Season
October 12
DOUBLE CONCERT
PATRICIA DEAN &
The STU SHELTON Trio
The JIM MARTIN &
DICK HAMILTON Quartet
November 9
JERRY STAWSKI Jazz Sextet
December 14
BIG BAND JAZZ NIGHT
DAVE PRUYN and The Jazz
Legacy Big Band Sinatra Centennial Concert
January 11
EDDIE METZ Jr. and the
International Jazz Trio
February 8
LATIN JAZZ NIGHT
STEVE USCHER and
CCJS 2015 Officers
Dave Nims, President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941.743.9511
Ennis Bisbano, Vice-President . . . . . . . . . 941.623.0619
Chris (Brown) Fitzgerald, Treasurer . . . . . .941.629.5338
Naomi Purul, Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 609.383.8977
Directors
Fred Capitelli, Jams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941.743.2157
Dan Cobb, Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 740.361.4060
Jim Howarth, Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941.505.2789
John Johnson, Communications . . . . . . . . . 941.876.4054
Pam Koontz, Board Development . . . . . . 941.749.0469
Mike Parmelee, Concert Coordinator . . . . . .
Lynda Platt, Long-Range Planning . . . . . . 803.617.8014
Jerry Renirie, Historian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941.661.3411
Gerald Wilkins, Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 941.255.0383
Tom Osborne, Business & Community. . . 941.766.8645
his Tropical Jazz Band
March 14
HARRY ALLEN Quintet with
singer REBECCA KILGORE
April 11
DOUBLE CONCERT
DAVE MORGAN Quintet
BOB ZOTTOLA Quartet
Bobbie Gasparri, Honorary Director
CCJS HOTLINE: 941.766.9422
www.ccjazz.org
www.facebook.com/ccjazzsociety