2023 Spring Show Highlights

"Celebrating Four Fabulous Decades: the '40's to the '70's!" 

An exciting performance to an energized crowd! On April 29th we enjoyed playing once again to a nearly full house at the Garner Performing Arts Center.  

This show featured some well-known old standards like "In The Mood" and "Eager Beaver" to some rock and fusion charts like, "A Hard Day's Night", "Peter Gunn",  "Vehicle" and "Oye Como Va." Several songs were special arrangments by our own Director, Michael Howard.  And, our very special guest was Larry James (bio further down on this page), who played alto and tenor sax, as well as flute!  

Video: "Oye Como Va"

Larry James lights up the stage with his incredible "hot" flute solo!  


Video: "Big Bad Handsome Man"

Meredith Calton sings this famous number that has been arranged by Michael Howard (with trumpet solos as well). 

Video: "Moondance"

A lively and zippy arrangement on an old classic from the 60's! 

The Program: Set 1...

Bandstand Boogie

        Music: C. Albertine, Arranged by: John Higgins

      

Moondance

         

 Eager Beaver


Teach Me Tonight


Big Bad Handsome Man

       

 Jumpin' at the Woodside

    

Early Autumn

         

Orange Colored Sky

       

 Why Don't You Do Right?  

       

 A Hard Day's Night 

       

In The Mood

       

The Program: Set 2

Up A Lazy River

        

Vehicle 

       

 Someone to Watch Over Me

        

Cabaret

         

Yesterday

         

Oye Como Va

        

I Dream of Jeanie

       

 Peter Gunn

        

I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) - featuring Meredith Calton

       

Something's Got A Hold On Me

        

Hay Burner


New York, New York

       

Guest Soloist: Larry James

Larry is a professional woodwind player (flute, saxophone and clarinet) that has been playing since the 60’s! He was off to an early start with music in his life! His first gig was singing with his sister’s accordion band when he was 5 years old!

He is a graduate from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and has studied with Matthew Marvuglio (flute, Berklee) and Tim Eyermann (saxophone, flute, The Airmen of Note).

He has performed with Natalie Cole, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Mel Torme and the North Carolina Symphony, Bob Hope, and Artie Barsamian’s Boston Big Band. Larry can also be heard in the soundtrack for the United Artists motion picture Once Around with Danny Aiello, Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter.

Larry continues to perform with Leon Jordan’s Continentals big band (founded in 1957), and has done so since the early 70’s. He has played in thousands of performances over the years, including over 500 at the Radisson Research Triangle Park Hotel (Governor’s Inn) and a recurring show at High Park in Raleigh. The band has also played at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC, The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, the Coral Bay Club in Morehead City, among others.

Larry has also been teaching music over 40 years and is currently teaching at Music and Arts at Crossroads in Cary, NC.

Big Question! What’s Larry’s favorite type of music to play?

Larry enjoys listening and playing both classical and jazz music but definitely enjoys big band music! His favorites are Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis, Hubert Laws and too many others to cite!

Another interesting fact!

Larry is an artist! He has a Master of Product Design degree from the NCSU College of Design and is an artist having shown at 311 Gallery, Visual Art Exchange, SunTrust Gallery Durham, United Arts Gallery, Page-Walker Arts and History Center, Halle Cultural Arts Center, and Duke Raleigh Hospital, among others.