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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, September 7th at 3 p.m. at the historic San Bernardino Valley College Auditorium.
Previous Symphony attendees will remember Nelson’s outstanding piano skills from past editions of our annual jazz series, and 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 – which begins with a duet to “They Can’t Take that Away From Me,” will be filled with Ms. Fitzgerald’s iconic covers including “Summertime,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Cheek to Cheek,” and “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and some of Mr. Baker’s most beloved tunes including “But Not for Me,” “Let’s Get Lost,” “Long Ago and Far Away,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “I Fall in Love Too Easily.”
A Queen and a Prince
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 (plan to hear that September 7th!) 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 twentieth 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 two albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958). He regularly collaborated and 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. But his talent did not fade and he was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1987, into the DownBeat Magazine Jazz Hall of Fame in 1989, the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 199, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001.
Tickets and Location Details
Tickets for “This is Jazz” are available at $20-$100 per seat and may be purchased by clicking any photo in this email, or by going online to the Symphony website at www.sanbernardinosymphony.org, or by phone at (909) 381-5388 Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. 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 located in the north end of campus facing Mt. Vernon. Free parking is available adjacent to the Auditorium on concert day.
