A grand night for swinging to the beloved jazz tunes of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, Maynard Ferguson, and much more will happen Saturday, August 21, at 7:30 p.m. as the Adirondack Jazz Orchestra — the celebrated “Big Band of the Adirondacks” — performs on Plattsburgh’s Harborside Stage.
Founded 18 years ago by Crane School of Music graduate Matthew Pray, who continued to lead the band today, the ensemble brings together many of the finest jazz players in the Adirondacks to present the professional-caliber concerts that have made them one of the most sought-after groups of any genre in the region.
More than 130 songs fill the Adirondack Jazz Orchestra’s repertoire, from the masterpieces of the “Golden Age” of big band jazz to lively salsa and mambo numbers to original compositions created by the ensemble’s members.
With a classic big band instrumental lineup of wind instruments — five trumpets, four trombones, and five saxophones — joined by the added flavor of the tuba, and with a powerhouse rhythm section, the group provides plenty of space for creative improvisations by their soloists with the beautiful bedrock sound of the ensemble to back them up. Two of the group’s instrumentalists are also talented singers, adding an extra dimension to the band’s sound in their performances of treasured vocal works.
Gates open at 6:30 p.m. for parking at the Harborside Stage (2 Dock Street, behind the D&H Railroad Station and adjacent to the City of Plattsburgh Marina), with the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $20 per carload (not per person), with all ticket sale proceeds going to the artists.
Attendees have the option of bringing lawn chairs or blankets and listening to the music outside of their car or remaining in their vehicle and listening to the music broadcast over their car radio directly from the stage. Individuals who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 do not need to wear face masks outside of their vehicles. Audience members are respectfully requested to refrain from bringing alcohol or pets (service animals are welcome) into the Harborside Lot.
Tremendous thanks go out to the sponsors of this concert — Treadwell Bay Marina & Resort, Champlain National Bank, and RE/MAX North Country — whose generosity has allowed us to provide this program as an affordable live music offering in the North Country.
For more information, email pomerance.benjamin58@gmail.com.
