The After Midnight Jazz Band is set to perform Thursday, June 23, as the Alpine Bank-Community Concert Hall free "Concerts @ the Park" series continues at Durango's Buckley Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Offering refreshing, infectious and hard-driving swing in the spirit of Benny Goodman, After Midnight was organized in 1997 by award-winning clarinetist Roger Campbell. The sextet's repertoire incorporates music from not only Goodman, but also the renowned Artie Shaw, Lionel Hampton, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennet. Further, After Midnight enjoys adding great swing sounds from today's popular performers such as Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. The band is based in Highlands Ranch, near Denver.
Wrote The American Rag, "After Midnight has its roots buried deep in the Benny Goodman Sextet tradition. Same instrumentation - clarinet, vibraphone, piano, guitar, bass and drums - and arrangements that echo those of the BG six. Playing Goodman-based charts can be fraught with peril unless you have skilled musicians in every chair. After Midnight does."
View an excerpt from the After Midnight Jazz Band's performance of "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" at the Evergreen Jazz Festival at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ecCp37f3v8.
Designed to make live music more accessible to a broader community audience, the "Concerts @ the Park" shows require no tickets and offer a family-friendly environment for enjoying a diverse music line-up. Concertgoers are asked to bring their own chairs or blankets, as seating will not be provided at Buckley Park. Fired Up Pizzeria and Schlotzsky's will offer food for sale at the park, but picnics are invited.
Buckley Park is located in the 1200 block of Main Ave. (between 12th and 13th streets) on the north end of Durango's historic downtown.
The 2016 Concerts @ The Park schedule continues in coming weeks with:
June 30: Cale Tyson - old school, whiskey-soaked, outlaw country for a new generation of country fans.
July 7: Leftover Cuties - timeless jazz-tinged Americana sound, combining sultry vocals, pop-perfect songwriting and seasoned musicianship. Back by popular demand!
July 14: Mo' Mojo - hard driving, high energy, Zydeco-based "Party-Gras" dance band.
July 21: Paa Kow - "The Groove Master" fuses rhythm and artistry from his home in Ghana with jazz and African pop.
July 28: Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons - Jackson, Wyo. band with original and popular dance tunes inspired by the "funkiness of life in the mountains." Back by popular demand!
Further information is available at www.durangoconcerts.com.