February 2017 marks 20 years of weekly Monday night gigs for Vaughn Wiester’s Famous Jazz Orchestra. The 22-piece big band of volunteer professional musicians has been playing the music of bands like those of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and Count Basie since 1997, and has been in residence at the Clintonville Woman’s Club since the summer of 2011. Trombonist, educator, and arranger Wiester has led the band since its inception, and trombonists Matt Ellis and Bill England are recognized as charter members who have played since the beginning. The band honors the occasion with a mixed schedule. For the first two weeks of February, the band will not feature guests, which presents a great opportunity to hear Wiester and the band dig deep into their vast library of classic charts. The show on February 20th will feature the monthly appearance by regular band vocalist Natalie Adams. The band will end the month with a bang on February 27th with a “Brazil Night – Tribute to Fat Tuesday” performance including vocals by Barbara Knight and Natalie Adams, Stan Smith performing his Latin composition “Carnival,” and tunes by Brazilian greats like Moacir Santos and Antonio Carlos Jobim. The band plays every Monday from 7:30 to 10pm, and the cost is just $10 for adults and $5 for students. Experience some of the best jazz Columbus has to offer – in February and year-round! Here are a few videos of the band in 2013:
2017-02-01