First off, let me start by saying I love jazz. And I have a real affinity for early jazz. It's kind of my thing. I collect old jazz records - my earliest is from the 1940s. Everything about listening to an old vinyl is magical to me: the crackling sound, the ambiance in my home, even putting it on the record player and carefully placing the needle is magical. I'm nostalgic for something I've never even experienced. I'm transported to a time that I've never lived in. How amazing is that?

Okay, I've nerded out enough. I was really excited to find out that I get to live out my passion this Saturday night! The Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra is welcoming Byron Stripling, Trumpeter/Vocalist/Conductor, Carmen Bradford, Vocalist, and Ted Louis Levy, Tap Dancer to the Victory Theater for Opening Saturday Night Pops: A Night at the Cotton Club. With iconic numbers like "It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing," "St. Louis Blues," and  "I Got Rhythm," you might be wondering if Louis Armstrong might make an appearance from the other side!

Inspired by Harlem’s famed musical hot spot, this swingin’ night of sensations focuses on the club’s heyday when Duke Ellington’s orchestra was the house band, and Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald showcased the classics of the Great American Songbook.

Featuring the brilliant trumpeter/vocalist/conductor Byron Stripling in his third performance with the EPO and Carmen Bradford, who was hired by William “Count” Basie as the featured vocalist in the legendary Count Basie Orchestra for nine years.

Joining Stripling and Bradford is tap dancer and choreographer Ted Louis Levy who made his Broadway debut in the smash hit Black & Blue and collaborated with George C. Wolfe and Gregory Hines on the choreography of Jelly’s Last Jam. - EPO

Enjoy A Night at the Cotton Club for one performance only, Saturday, September 30, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.

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