Doc Severinsen and Friends : The Art of the Big Band
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Sean Turi
Doc Severinsen and Friends : The Art of the Big Band
Doc Severinsen
Doc Severinsen , a fixture for 30 years with Johnny Carson , took to the road with his Big Band when the show went off the air in 1992 . Mr . Severinsen ’ s musicianship keeps American big band music fresh . His repertoire includes Ellington and Basie standards , pop , jazz , ballads , big band classics and , of course , The Tonight Show theme . Mr . Severinsen can still hit the high notes and as a band leader , surrounds himself with accomplished musicians , only too happy to share the spotlight .
Music Center At Strathmore Thursday , November 17 , 2016 — 8pm
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Friday , November 25 , 2016 — 8pm Saturday , November 26 , 2016 — 8pm Sunday , November 27 , 2016 — 3pm
Presenting Sponsor :
The program will be announced from the stage .
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will not perform in this program .
The concert will end at approximately 10pm on Thursday , Friday and Saturday , and at 5pm on Sunday .
A Grammy award winner , Mr . Severinsen has made more than 30 albums — from big band to jazz fusion to classical . Two critically acclaimed Telarc CDs with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra showcase his multifaceted talents . The Very Best of Doc Severinsen reprises fifteen signature pieces . Other recordings include Unforgettably Doc with the Cincinnati Pops on Telarc , and the Grammy nominated Once More With Feeling on Amherst . Mr . Severinsen received a Grammy Award for “ Best Jazz Instrumental Performance — Big Band ” for his recording of Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Band – Volume I .
Mr . Severinsen also tours regularly with Gil Gutierrez in a quintet called The San Miguel Five , performing a mix of Latin and Gypsy jazz and standards . They released their most current CD , Oblivion , in January 2014 .
Mr . Severinsen was born in 1927 in Arlington , Oregon and was nicknamed “ Little Doc ” after his dentist father who was a gifted amateur violinist . Mr . Severinsen originally wanted to play the trombone , an instrument unavailable in the local music store , so he took up the trumpet . He joined the school band at 7 years of age and at 12 , won the Music Educators National Contest . He served in the Army during World War II and following his discharge , landed a spot with the Charlie Barnett Band , followed by gigs with Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman in the late 1940s .
Mr . Severinsen became a staff musician for NBC in 1949 , and after many years was invited to play with The Tonight Show Band . The leader at the time , Skitch Henderson , asked him to take the first trumpet chair in 1962 . Five years later , Mr . Severinsen became the Music Director for The Tonight Show , and the warm camaraderie he shared with Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon was part of the show ’ s success .
In addition to his San Miguel Five appearances and his own Big Band performances , Mr . Severinsen performs with symphony orchestras all over the country . Over the years he has been Principal Pops Conductor with the Phoenix Symphony , the Milwaukee Symphony , the Minnesota Orchestra , the Colorado Symphony , the Pacific Symphony and the Buffalo Philharmonic .
Mr . Severinsen is known for his colorful fashion statements and his gregarious nature , but these qualities have never interfered with his musicianship over the last 60 years . He performs on a S . E . Shires Severinsen Destino III , a trumpet he developed with Steve Shires and the S . E . Shires Company in Massachusetts .
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