Big Band Blast up next on young ISO season

Troy Shantz The era when Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw were kings will be evoked when the International Symphony Orchestra presents Big Band Blast on Oct. 30.

Troy Shantz

The era when Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw were kings will be evoked when the International Symphony Orchestra presents Big Band Blast on Oct. 30.

London-based jazz “diva” Denise Pelley will be on hand to perform music from the ‘30s and ‘40s along with The Bluewater Big Band, a 17-piece jazz-swing band under the direction of ISO trumpeter Tim Hummel.

The afternoon matinee at the Imperial Theatre will feature classic numbers like Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing and Billy Strayhorn’s Take the “A” Train.

The Bluewater Big Band features several past or present members of the orchestra and has performed at jazz festivals in Sarnia and Port Huron.

All proceeds will go to benefit the International Symphony Orchestra’s cultural and educational programs. They include the sponsorship of two youth string ensembles, as well as the “Music Makes Sound Sense” initiative, which places professional ensembles into schools and reaches over 3000 students.

The fundraiser is the second event in the young ISO season, which opened in Sarnia on Oct. 15.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Bluewater Big Band Blast, featuring jazz-vocalist Denise Pelley

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016, at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Imperial Theatre, 168 Christina Street N.

TICKETS: ISO subscribers $28, non-subscribers $33, students: $12