Arts and Entertainment

Dizzy Gillespie Special & The Metropole Orchestra

(Tue 16 March 2010)

The Hague Jazz presents a collaboration of the Metropole Orchestra (directed by Vince Mendoza) and soloists James Moody, Jon Faddis, Steve Turre and Giovanni Hidalgo for an unforgettable night in honour of Dizzy Gillespie. On 20 March, the World Forum Conference Centre hosts this special tribute concert.

Metropole Orchestra with conductor Vince Mendoza

The Metropole Orchestra is the largest professional orchestra in the world to have a repertoire of jazz, as well as, pop, world music, film music, and entertainment. The orchestra, with this wide range, performs at most of the platforms of the Public Channels and visits the North Sea Jazz festival, The Hague Jazz and the Holland Festival. The rapidly growing Dutch film industry uses the orchestra regularly.

Since 2005 the fourfold Grammy winner Vince Mendoza is chief director of the orchestra. The quality and versatility of the Metropole Orchestra is illustrated by the colourful collection of soloists that shared the stage with the Orchestra, among which: Oleta Adams, Vicente Amigo, Antony & The Johnsons, Within Temptation, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Elivs Costello, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Chaka Khan, Pat Metheny, Ivan Lins, Mike Patton, John Scofield, Jean ‘Toots’ Thielemans, Gino Vannelli, Steve Vai, Sarah Vaughan and Trijntje Oosterhuis.

James Moody (sax)

James Moody is born in 1925 (Georgia, America). Moody plays the flute and sax and is also a singer, composer, and bandleader. After the war Moody played with Dizzy Gillespie for a period of two years. His own fame comes mostly from his improvisation on “I’m in the mood for love”. Moody plays regularly with Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars and the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars Big Band and also often collaborates with former Gillespie alumnus.

Steve Turre (trombone)

Steve Turre is born in 1948 in Nebraska. Turre is an international trombonist, arranger and educator. In contrast to colleague trombonists like Ray Anderson, Steve Turre is not the person to experiment with the sounds of his instrument. He sings on it with an old-fashioned, full, capable tone, and the limberness of bebop-pioneer J.J. Johnson. But within these restrictions, Turre makes expressive, warm and original music and he separates himself from all others by choosing a striking context.

Jon Faddis (trumpet)

Jon Faddis (1953, California) is a renowned jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer and educator. Faddis is famous for his virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise on music education. Faddis mimics the sound of the trumpet of his icon, Dizzy Gillespie with precision. He was very influenced by his master Dizzy Gillespie. Dizzy once said about Faddis: ‘He is the best ever, including me!’

Giovanni Hidalgo (percussion)

During a show in 1985 of Giovanni Hidalgo with Eddie Palmieri, Dizzy Gillespie walked in and was so very impressed by Hidalgo that he told him that he would want to work together with him at some point. That happened in 1988, when both Hidalgo and Palmieri became members of the Dizzy Gillespie Jazz Orchestra!

Tickets: via www.ticketservice.nl or 0900 3001250 (45 cpm)
Prices: Cat 1: €37,50, Cat 2: €35, Cat 3: €32,50, Cat 4: €30
Service fee: varies from €2,50 to €3,20 for each ticket