City Jazz Orchestra

The 19th Annual Minnesota Festival of Jazz on the Prairie will take place in Sunday, June 14th, from 2 – 8 PM, at Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneers Trail, in Eden Prairie. This annual event features six of the top Big Bands in the Twin Cities, the Just Friends Big Band (2 PM), River City Jazz Orchestra (3 PM), Good News Big Band (4 PM) Bend in the River Big Band (5 PM), Stan Bann Big Band (6 PM) and the host band, the Jazz on the Prairie Big Band (7 PM). The Starling Lake Amphitheatre has been newly refurbished, plus, the Eden Prairie Noon Rotary is preparing a Rib Fest, including Beer.

Kicking off “Jazz on the Prairie” will be the Just Friends Big Band, directed by Adam Bestler. They’ll be playing some charts by Woody Herman, Maynard Ferguson, & Matt Catingub. You’ll also hear from the Just Friends Vocal Quartet. Performing second at JOTP is the River City Jazz Orchestra, led by Dave Colburn. They will present music written by Sammy Nestico, Benny Carter, Gene Roland and Tommy Newsom. Paula Lammers is their vocalist. The Good News Big Band, led by Brian Richter, will perform tunes arranged by Tom Kubis, Chris McDonald and Don Menza. Their vocalist is Teresa Jackson. 

Up next is the Bend in the River Big Band, led by Bob Hallquist. They will raid the libraries of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, Buddy Rich’s Big Band, and the Count Basie Orchestra. They have a new vocalist, Linnea Nelson Marrin, a music educator from Roseville, with a background in the Music / Theater Industry in New York and Florida. Closing the festivities  will be the Jazz on the Prairie Big Band, the host band of the festival, directed by Don Bates. Their library contains tunes from the Big Band Era made popular by Basie, Herman, Kenton, and Miller, plus contemporary charts by Gordon Goodwin, Bob Florence, Tom Kubis and Bill Holman, plus they will be previewing two exciting tunes (Jazzomania & Genevieve) from the Claude Bolling Big Band in France.

Listen to Big Band Scene on KBEM / Jazz 88 on Sunday, June 7 at 7 PM for a preview of the Jazz on the Prairie Festival, with my guest Don Bates. Listen online at at: http://jazz88.mpls.k12.mn.us/

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