In 1993, the Tony Corbiscello Big Band opened for ‘Ol Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra, on his world tour. On Nov. 8, the group will perform with a wide-eyed group of eager musicians from the Poughkeepsie High School Jazz Ensemble for a big band tribute at the Bardavon in Poughkeepsie.
The Corbiscello band members and other professional musicians have taken the students under their wings for a six-week residency at the school, apprenticing students in the secrets of a swinging, big band style.
They will sound off in a Battle of the Bands on Thursday Nov. 8, when the Bardavon presents Big Band Tribute, an afternoon of the sounds of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman.
The performance is part of the Bardavon’s Matinees & Music senior citizens program, and takes place at 2 p.m. on the Bardavon stage. (A $5 donation is encouraged for tickets, though no one will be turned away for non-payment. Call the Bardavon Box Office at 473-2073, located at 35 Market St.)
This is the ninth straight year the big band has partnered with Poughkeepsie High School through the Bardavon School Residency Program, which brings artists to local schools for apprenticeships that culminate with performances at the historic opera house on Market Street. More than 500 students from the region will participate during the 2007-08 school year.
“I’ve learned a lot from them,” said Matt Guarnuccia, who plays tenor saxophone with the Poughkeepsie jazz band, of working with the master class instructors. “I’ve seen how they play – especially improvisation.”
“They give advice to help you play better,” said trumpet player Jonathan McPhee.
First up on the program for Nov. 8 is the Tony Corbiscello Big Band, performing the sounds of Basie, Ellington, Miller and Goodman, followed by the PHS jazz band’s rendition of perennial favorites, “Kansas City,” the R&B number by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (Fats Domino recorded a popular version) and “Tequila” by the Champs. The songs will be “pieces people know and are familiar with,” said PHS bandleader Bill Gillespie. The two groups will come together for the final battle of the bands.
“Spreading love of music” was what Brandon Nelson, a bassist and freelance professional musician, enjoyed about working with the students. Nelson and trumpet player Josh Economy led students during an after-school rehearsal on Oct. 29.
The Tony Corbiscello Big Band has performed extensive stints at the Rainbow Room and the Supper Club in New York City. Critics praise the band’s full-bodied sound and tonal richness.
The event is sponsored by MVP Gold and Mix 97 and is supported by the Dutchess County Office of the Aging and Assemblyman Tom Kirwan, the Poughkeepsie City School District, the Ann and Abe Effron Fund through the Community Foundation of Dutchess County and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs of the U.S. Department of Justice and through Congressman Maurice Hinchey.