For those who can’t seem to get enough of the big band sound for the holiday season — this one’s for you: The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra will set up the bandstand for two Sunday evening performances at the Music Center at Strathmore. The 17-piece orchestra, co-founded by baritone saxophonist Brad Linde, trumpeter Joe Herrera and club owner Omrao Brown, deliver seasonal classics from, among others, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.
“We did two Monday night shows last year at the Caverns and sold out both nights,” Linde said. “Sunday and Monday nights’ performances will be the last of our Christmas material.”
| Onstage |
| Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra |
| Where: Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| When: 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: Call for prices and remaining ticket availability; 301-581-5100; strathmore.org |
With their permanent home in the Caverns on Monday nights, the BCJO steps out of its jazzy realm with what Linde calls “all the regular suspects.”
“At Strathmore, we have our usual five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, a piano, bass drums and guitar,” he explained. “The band is comprised of some of the best musicians in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and so it’s a pleasure to play every week.”
Linde, at 32, is actually in the middle of the age range of band members, with the youngest being 20 years old and the oldest 60. He sees the novelty of having a 17-piece orchestra in the same location every Monday night because, while audiences know exactly what they are going to get, the repertoire is always a surprise, as well as the solo virtuosity of its members. At Strathmore tonight, piano player Amy K. Bormet presents her original arrangement of Claude Thornhill’s “Snowfall,” a stellar seasonal melody made famous by the Manhattan Transfer.
“We will play the entire Duke Ellington arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker Suite,’ ” Linde continued. “We’ll also do Christmas carols that were arranged for Stan Kenton’s orchestra, like ‘God rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,’ ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘O Christmas Tree.'”
While there will be no big band vocalist performing Sunday, the BCJO invites the audience to sing along with the music, if it is so inclined.
Linde, who counts himself lucky to have a weekly gig, as well as outside special performances with the band, notes, “There’s not a lot of opportunities to play with a big band; so the idea of having a pool of community members of high caliber is like a big party; [playing] music you normally wouldn’t get a chance to play.”
