The Vermont Jazz Center’s Big Band is delighted to once again perform as invited guests of the Brattleboro Music Center at its Music Under the Stars concert series live at the Retreat Farm in Brattleboro, VT at 6:30 PM on Saturday, July 23rd. This year’s celebration will feature Rebecca Holtz, a frequent performer with the Compaq Big Band and the Keene Jazz Orchestra; Holtz also sang in the Bay Area with the SFJAZZ Monday Night Band and was highlighted in SFJAZZ’s Artists on the Rise series. Holtz studied with Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton, and Peter Eldridge at the Vermont Jazz Center and has built a career in New England and the Bay Area. She has shared the stage with Samirah Evans, Charles Neville, and Houston Person at the Vermont Jazz Center and SFJAZZ. Some of the selections she will be singing at the Music Under the Stars performance include “When I Fall in Love,” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Paper Moon” and many other classics.

The VJC Big Band is made up of The Vermont Jazz Center’s Big Band is delighted to once again perform as invited guests of the Brattleboro Music Center at its Music Under the Starsrea professional musicians who come together to enjoy the camaraderie and rich repertoire of the swing era and beyond. Each year they put together a special project featuring remarkable composers and guest artists. Over the last 18 years, the Vermont Jazz Center has produced concerts focused on the music and often original arrangements of Terry Gibbs, Artie Shaw, Tito Puente, Ella Fitzgerald; some of the guest artists who have performed with the VJC Big Band include Houston Person, Eguie Castrillo, Miles Griffith, Amanda Carr, Wanda Houston, Peter Eldridge, Kevin Mahogany, Samirah Evans, Mark Anagnostopulos, and Rebecca Holtz.

The VJC Big Band is directed by VJC board member Rob Freeberg, whose conducting draws on his respect for the jazz legacy, an unerring ear, and decades of experience leading his own big band in the New York City region. Freeberg moved to Dummerston, VT in 2012, after retiring from his position as Director of Bands at New Rochelle High School, NY, where he taught for 30 years. He is the musical director of the VJC Sextet and also performs with the Windham Orchestra, its brass quintet, the Bennington County Choral Society and the Keene Chorale.

The VJC Big Band celebrates 18 years of performances thanks in great part to band manager Sherm Fox’s continued persistence and organizational efforts; he is the glue that has held the band together since 2004, taking on the chore of herding 17 jazz-cats into formation. The VJC Big Band was originally a collaborative project initiated by Fox and Howard Brofsky, who served as VJC president and mentor for decades.

Supporting vocalist Rebecca Holtz will be Rick Anderson, Haneef Nelson, Geoff Cunningham, Ryan Kapoor, and Rob Freeberg on trumpet; Carl Clements and Donna Morse on alto saxophone; Michael Zsoldos and Bob Stabach on tenor saxophone; Sherm Fox on baritone saxophone; John Wheeler, Kim Clark, Dave Sporny and Caroline Cole on trombone; Eugene Uman on piano; Wes Brown on bass; Steve Rice on drums, and Julian Gerstin, percussion.

Savor the sounds of swing music. Mark your calendars – a free concert/dance event of swing music brought to you by the BMC’s Music Under the Stars series live at the Retreat Farm at 6:30 PM, Saturday, July 23rd with July 24th set as a rain date. Audience members should bring chairs or blankets. Food beverages and Vermont Gelato will be available for purchase.