Directed by Springfield native Todd Stoll, the jazz orchestra is a group a long time in coming. But the wait should be worth it according to Stoll, a 1981 North High graduate who honed his music skills here.
You could say jazz is in Stoll’s blood. He’s performed with numerous jazz ensembles in the state and now works for the Jazz at Lincoln Center education program in New York, where he was suggested for his position by Wynton Marsalis, one of the world’s premiere trumpet players and the program’s managing and artistic director.
Although he’s in the big city Stoll still has a heart for his hometown, working with the SSO and doing shows in the area such as his Red Hot Jazz Stomp the last two holiday seasons.
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Impressed by the wide offerings of Springfield’s art scene, Stoll thought a jazz complement to the SSO was due, since the city was already the home of a jazz legend: the late Johnny Lytle, a world-famous vibraphonist who lived in the city all his life.
“Through the ups and downs of the economy, the arts scene here has been consistent,” Stoll said. “My idea was jazz is diverse and we want to bring it to an audience that is diverse like that. Jazz brings people together, brings different races and genders together. The triumph of jazz is integration, that’s a rare thing.”
In early 2018, Stoll met with SSO music director and conductor Peter Stafford Wilson with the initial plans. Wilson has made it his mission to make the orchestra as inclusive and diverse in its offerings as possible and this program fits that.
“Todd and I have been friends for many years, but only recently did I learn of his rich ties to the Springfield community,” he said. “Who better to firmly establish this band that will uphold the artistic excellence that fans of the SSO have come to expect?
“This uniquely American art form deserves a prominent outlet here in Springfield, and our direct ties to Jazz at Lincoln Center, the foremost purveyor of jazz in the world, proves that we mean business.”
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Almost like a recruiter for a sports program, Stoll used his extensive contacts to put together the jazz orchestra. He came up with 17 musicians including seasoned veterans and young up-and-coming talents.
These include featured tenor saxophone players Hal Melia, who Stoll has played with for years, and Eddie Bayard, who he calls one of the best sax players alive, and college student Lauren Elliot, who is just 19, on baritone sax.
Other featured artists in the inaugural season will include Pharez Whitted on trumpet and voocalist Carmen Bradford.
The first two concerts will showcase music from top jazz names and bring in guest performers to complement the group.
The opener will be “Big Band Royalty - The Count Meets the Duke,” focusing on Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The second concert will be May 23 with “Ella Fitzgerald - First Lady of Song.” The group will also perform next summer, possibly at the Summer Arts Festival.
“This first year we’re asking what is the standard of jazz,” said Stoll.
The goal is to build a strong base these first couple of years and he’s brimming with ideas of where the program can go.
“We have a great art museum, amazing symphony, the Westcott House, the Summer Arts Festival. We want to show this community deserves another world-class art with jazz,” Stoll said.
Concert tickets cost $25 each and are available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the Career ConnectEd Desk at the Dome or go to www.getcareerconnected.org/john-legend-theater-2.
For more information on the Symphony, go to www.springfieldsym.org.
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