Jim Carroll, artistic director of the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra, is taking a page out of Duke Ellington’s book as he prepares for his band’s concert Saturday at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. “One of the things Ellington did, unique to jazz, was that he wrote for the members of his orchestra,” Carroll pointed out. “Beethoven and Mozart did not do that. When they wrote a violin concerto, they wrote it for the violin — the instrument.”
And since the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra will be performing stunning interpretations of the jazz standards, Broadway classics and popular Hollywood music found in the Great American Songbook, Carroll will be highlighting the stellar talents of trumpet player Byron Stripling, the orchestra’s special guest for the evening.
| Onstage |
| Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra |
| Where: The Hylton Performing Arts Center, George Mason University’s Prince William Campus, 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas |
| When: 8 p.m. Saturday |
| Info: $24 to $40; 888-945-2486, hyltoncenter.org |
“The point of this concert is to hear Byron’s artistry,” Carroll continued. “He is coming out of the mold of Louis Armstrong. In addition to being an incredible trumpet player, he is also an entertainer.”
Indeed, Stripling’s artistry has made him a popular guest performer with some of the finest jazz and pops orchestras in the world. He has collaborated with the great entertainers in the business, including Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Lena Horne and the Count Basie Orchestra. His acting and vocal skills have been tapped into in the lead role of the Broadway-bound musical, “Satchmo.” In addition to all of these rolls, he is the artistic director of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
Therefore, in Saturday evening’s concert, it stands to reason that Stripling will be the star. Highlights of the program will feature him in pieces such as “St. James Infirmary,” “Minnie the Moocher” and “Bill Bailey.” All backed up, of course, by the orchestra.
“What audiences are going to hear with the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra are the best jazz musicians in the area,” Carroll said. “Charlie Young, our lead alto sax player teaches at Howard University [and] he’s probably the greatest living alto saxophonist on the planet.”
The “music is food for the soul” analogy grabs Jim Carroll as more than appropriate in this instance when he quips, “If a Beethoven symphony is food that makes us feel good, then the Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra is like fried chicken that’s good for you.”
