This will be our second "In the Tradition" performance event on Tuesday, April 4, 2023; a jazz extravagnza featuring the Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra with all three talented Rochester high school jazz bands: Rochester HS, Rochester Adams HS, and Rochester Stoney-Creek HS.
As coordinator, I think back to being a 16 year old trombonist in my jazz band. My instructor recommended for me to go to the Bird of Paradise Jazz Club in Ann Arbor to hear their jazz band. As I walked down the hall approaching the club with music intensifying by the step, I realized that after that night my life would never be the same. Hearing a pro group play music in the traditions of mentorship and artistic excellence, I was influenced to practice more, take pride in my jazz band, and listen to great musicians. I want that same experience for every music student.
The performance will start at 7pm with the high school groups performing on the legendary stage. There will be a short intermission before the Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra goes on. This is the same stage that featured Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday (pictured above in Music Hall dressing room), and now your student! The performance will conclude at 9:30pm.
Doors open at 6pm. There will be light food and drinks served in the jazz cafe, but your hand will be stamped and allowed to eat another restaurant nearby. It will be very busy in the Cafe.
http://jazzcafedetroit.com/menuEveryone should initially enter at the front doors.
Cover charge to make this event work is $30 cash per person. Performing students do not pay cover. There is an ATM in the lobby.
Music Hall is at 350 Madison, Detroit. You can drop families off in front by double parking. Parking is recommended at the Gem Theater parking garage across Madison, entering off of Brush St. Besides being the least expensive facility at $8, it is also the safest.
Seating is general without ushers, so find a location on either ground floor or mezzanine. Because Music Hall was built in the 1920s for bands without microphones, the acoustics are supurb and you will be able to hear your student wherever you sit. Bathrooms are on the ground floor next to the jazz cafe.
In making your reservation, please consider:
Please RSVP for your student's family only.
Your student is already included and does not need a reservation.
Please feel free to share this link with friends and family.
You can add to this list up to show-time or if more people decide to come.
When students arrive, their hand is stamped at the front door admission; they can then go out and come back in through the side, stage door to their school's green room, under the stage. The stage door is to the left of the front door, as you are walking out. The door is in the Music Hall parking lot. Only students with stamped hands may enter the stage door. There will be a stage manager at this entrance.
If you have any questions about the music or your student's participation in the event, please contact your bandleader. If you have questions about the facility, event itself, or Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra, contact me at wscottgwinnell@gmail.com
We will have CDs of the award winning Scott Gwinnell Jazz Orchestra available in the lobby before and after the performance.
Thank you!
Scott
