VJC Big Band Celebrates its 20th Year w/ Vocalist Carmen Bradford

About the Performance

Saturday, December 6, 2024
7:30 pm

The 18-piece Vermont Jazz Center Big Band is excited to celebrate 20 years of music, and what better way to celebrate than by honoring the legacy of Count Basie. 

For this year’s annual scholarship gala, they will pull out all the stops with a swing-dance performance featuring Grammy-award-winning singer Carmen Bradford.

Carmen Bradford is a third-generation vocalist who has ascended to jazz royalty through pedigree, talent, and hard work.

For nine years she was the featured vocalist with Count Basie (1904 -1984) and continues to tour and record with the Count Basie (Legacy) Orchestra.

She received a Grammy Award for her contributions to Basie Swings the Blues with the Count Basie Orchestra. She also appears on the Grammy-award-winning album organized by Kenny Rankin called The Benny Carter Songbook Project.

Bradford has been nominated five times for a Grammy Award, is the recipient of the Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Jazz Vocalist Award, and was recently elected to the Austin Jazz Society’s Hall of Fame.

The VJC Big Band is made up of area professional musicians who come together to enjoy the rewards of playing invigorating, challenging and historically significant repertoire while raising money for the VJC’s Scholarship Fund. 

December’s Annual Gala is the primary fundraiser for the Fund which grants an annual average of $20,000 worth of scholarships to students, offsetting fees for ensembles, private lessons, and their world-renowned summer jazz workshop. 

By attending this event you will be contributing to the scholarship fund; all proceeds will be earmarked towards benefitting students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to pursue their musical objectives.

This year the VJC Big Band celebrates its 20th year thanks to the decade-long leadership of musical director Rob Freeberg, and to the organizational persistence of baritone saxophonist, Sherm Fox.

The VJC is especially grateful for sponsors Dianne and Steve Lieberman, medical professionals from Amherst, Massachusetts who have demonstrated their belief in the music and the VJC community by sponsoring this annual concert for many years. 

The VJC also appreciates the support of the Vermont Arts Council, the Vermont Humanities Council, the New England Foundation of the Arts, and the National Endowment of the Arts. Thanks also to media support from The Commons and The Brattleboro Reformer.

Be sure to mark Friday, December 6th on your calendars, polish your dancing shoes to prepare for this fun evening—dance the night away and savor the sounds of swing music. 

Make your reservations early as this concert always sells out quickly. 

Admission is $40-100, general admission (sliding scale). 

Limited table seating is available this year for people with mobility issues in order to maximize room for dancing. 

Tickets can be reserved by online at www.vtjazz.org, by email at sarah@vtjazz.org or by phone 802 254 9088 x1.

Access is available by emailing or calling Sarah to schedule a time for one of our staff to meet your party.

Vermont Jazz Center
72 Cotton Mill Hill #222
Brattleboro, VT 05301