Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Brandon Thomas | The Marine Corps Jazz Ensemble performs for students March 5 at Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music. The Marine Corps Jazz Ensemble is comprised of musicians hand-picked by Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Bley, the musician placement director for the 1st Marine Corps District, to perform at several high schools and universities in the Greater New York City and Boston areas with exceptional music programs. see less
| View Image Page
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – A United States Marine Corps Jazz Ensemble is scheduled to perform at Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse at Lincoln Center in New York City on March 8.
Members of the Jazz Ensemble are drawn from ten different U.S. Marine band programs throughout the world. In this concert, featuring a variety of jazz standards, they will be joined by trumpet virtuoso Jon Faddis.
Marine Corps bands perform hundreds of public performances across the nation each year. This will be the capstone concert of the ensemble’s March 3-11 tour through the Northeast. They will be performing at several universities in the Greater New York City area with exceptional music programs.
“This is a rare opportunity to perform with a jazz legend,” according to the tour organizer and bass player Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Bley, a native of Buffalo, N.Y. “It is our goal to inspire pride in the Marine Corps by highlighting the only true American art form, jazz music, played by some of my close friends.
“We plan on playing a mix of jazz standards, some original compositions from our ensemble, as well as a piece specifically commissioned for this tour by award-winning jazz composer Anita Brown.”
The Lincoln Center performance is scheduled to start at 7 p.m., it is free and is open to the public with limited seats available. For more information visit www.facebook.com/MarineMusicProgram1MCD/events.