Art Martin to Conduct Combined Musical Groups

MELBOURNE, FL, December 19, 2011 – The Swingtime Jazz Band and the Melbourne Community Orchestra will team to present The Cool Sounds of Swingtime on January 4th and 5th beginning at 7:30 p.m., at the Melbourne Auditorium, 625 Hibiscus Blvd.  There is no charge for the concert and tickets are not required.

The combined groups, under the direction of Art Martin, will play a variety of popular jazz tunes, including Moten Swing, 920 Special, Sweet Georgia Brown, The Big Apple (tunes related to New York City) and A Big Band Medley of popular big band favorites including Song of India and Cherokee. Popular local vocalist Sally Hart will be featured.

“We are excited to present this concert in conjunction with the Melbourne Community Orchestra for the second year, and we look forward to other creative collaborations with them in the future,” said Martin.

Call 724-0555 or visit melbournemunicipalband.org for more information.

Swingtime, part of the Melbourne Municipal Band, is a 20-piece jazz band, playing music from the 1920s to the 1970s. The for-hire band features saxophones, trombones, trumpets, a piano, guitar, bass and trap set, along with two vocalists and a conductor/announcer.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band
The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814

The Swingtime Jazz Band along with vocalist Len Fallen will be performing big band favorites with the added attraction of the Melbourne Community Orchestra combining their talents to perform with the Swingtime Jazz Band.

$5 Dance Lessons Available One Hour Before Event Begins

MELBOURNE, FL, January 20, 2012 – Sweethearts of all ages will take the dance floor on February 9 as the Swingtime Jazz Band presents its popular annual “Sweetheart Ball” beginning at 7 p.m. at the Melbourne Auditorium, 625 Hibiscus Blvd. Dance tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door.

Musical selections will feature original and much-loved arrangements from masters such as Stan Kenton, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie and Les Brown. Popular local vocalists Sally Hart and Len Fallen will perform.

The band auxiliary will have a concession table with snacks, soft drinks, bottled water and ice for sale. Tables can be reserved in advance for groups of six more by calling the band office at 724-0555.

Those who would like to brush up on their dancing skills can do so from 6 to 7 p.m., when Laura Beers (www.adancersvoice.com or 751-4766) offers lessons. Cost is $5, payable to the instructor.

Call 724-0555 or visit www.melbournemunicipalband.org for more information.

Swingtime, part of the Melbourne Municipal Band, is a 20-piece jazz band, playing music from the 1920s to the 1970s. The for-hire band features saxophones, trombones, trumpets, a piano, guitar, bass and trap set, along with two vocalists and a conductor/announcer.

About the Melbourne Municipal Band
The Melbourne Municipal Band (MMB), established in 1965, plays free concerts for the citizens of Brevard County nearly every month, and also contributes to the community through parades, patriotic concerts and ceremonial performances. Some 30 percent of the band’s 80-plus members are professional musicians. In a typical year, the band serves 69,000 concert attendees, and its members give 27,000 hours of community service in the form of rehearsals and performance time.

Media Contact:
Carmen L. Bright
Marketing Communications Associates, Inc.
Voice: 321-254-0171
Fax: 321-752-9814

Dear Friends and Patrons,

7:30 pm on February 15 & 16.  Nestico’s arrangements are popular with audiences around the world.   He is well known for his arrangements for the Count Basie Orchestra and the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Bands.  His work in the TV medium includes projects for Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, and the scores for Mission: Impossible and Charlie’s Angels.  You may not know the name “Sammy Nestico,” but you already know his music. 

Nestico has generously donated most of the music to the MMB for this concert.  This came about as the result of his longtime friendship Charlie Almeida, a sax and clarinet player in the MMB.   Almeida will be featured on a beautiful alto sax ballad called Persuasion.  Additionally, our program will include Nestico’s  Spirit of Liberty March, Tribute to Stephen Foster, Los Valientes, Brassmen’s Holiday, Model “T” and Tribute to Harry James.

This concert will also feature my friend and mentor as a guest conductor, Dr. David Waybright, Director of Bands from the University of Florida.  He’ll be conducting Ralph Vaughan Williams’ English Folk Song Suite.  We’ll round out the program with Grainger’s Handel in the Strand (a very happy little piece) and we’ll add a dash of Sousa, just for good measure.

Come early at 6:30 p.m. and hear Charlie Almeida’s V.I.P. Orchestra play our pre-show entertainment.  This jazz combo will get your evening’s entertainment started nicely (and you may enjoy hearing my husband, David Cleveland, playing trumpet).

As always, admission to these concerts is free, and we gratefully accept your voluntary donations.  We value your patronage and support.  Spread the word to your friends and family.  We’d love to see them at the concerts, and you can contribute to helping our audience to grow.

We love to play for you!

Yours truly,

Staci Cleveland, Principal Conductor

An added note:  This is a busy time for the MMB and its affiliated groups. We hope you’ll mark your calendar for two upcoming events: First, a 7:30 pm “Sousa” concert by the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by Col. Hal Gibson. The venue will be the Indian River Colony Club in Viera on Jan. 29.

Your best chance this year to get into the mood for Valentine’s Day will be the Swingtime Jazz Band’s annual Sweetheart Ball. Come by the Melbourne Auditorium at 7:00 pm on Feb. 9 with your sweetie, prepared to dance to some of the best big band music in Brevard, under the direction of Art Martin.