The San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra is proud to present the Josh Nelson Ensemble performing “This is Jazz: A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker,” on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. at the San Bernardino Valley College auditorium.
Previous Symphony attendees will remember Nelson’s outstanding piano skills from past editions of the Symphony’s annual jazz series. This year his musical colleagues include vocalist Angie Wells, trumpeter Kye Palmer, bassist Chris Colangelo, drummer Dan Schnelle and vocalist/pianist John Proulx.
Symphony Associate Conductor Raphaela Lacerda, who recently conducted the cinematic score for Beverly Hills Cop 4, will host the event.
The repertoire will be filled with Fitzgerald’s iconic covers including “Summertime,” “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Mr. Paganini” and some of Baker’s most beloved tunes including “But Not for Me,” “Let’s Get Lost,” “Long Ago and Far Away,” “My Funny Valentine,” “The Thrill is Gone” and “Time after Time.”
Regarded by many as one of the finest ever jazz singers, Ella Fitzgerald – sometimes referred to as the “First Lady of Song,” “Queen of Jazz” and “Lady Ella” – was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
After a tumultuous adolescence, Fitzgerald found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, performing across the country, but most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” helped boost both her and Webb to national fame. After signing with Verve Records, she recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretations of the Great American Songbook.
Fitzgerald also appeared in films and as a guest on popular television shows in the second half of the 20th century. Outside her solo career, she created music with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and The Ink Spots. These partnerships produced songs such as “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” Her accolades included 14 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, the NAACP’s inaugural President’s Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the “Prince of Cool.”
Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958). He regularly collaborated with jazz greats Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan.
Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker’s early career as “James Dean, Sinatra and Bix, rolled into one.” Sadly, his well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame and Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and 1980s. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
Tickets for “This is Jazz” are available at $20 to $100 per seat and may be purchased online at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org or by phone at (909) 381-5388, Monday through Friday. Seats for students and active military are available for $15.
San Bernardino Valley College is located at 701 S. Mt. Vernon Avenue in San Bernardino. The auditorium is at the north end of campus facing Mt. Vernon. Free parking is available adjacent to the auditorium on concert day.
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