Big Band Evolution

RTÉ Concert Orchestra
Cormac McCarthy, conductor
Dana Masters, vocalist

Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for a musical exploration of Big Band through the ages, from Basie to Brookmeyer.

From the groundbreaking roots of Fletcher Henderson, credited with forming the first big band orchestra in New York City in the ‘20s, to the modern brilliance of Maria Schneider, former student of Bob Brookmeyer.

Cormac McCarthy and Dana Masters join the orchestra for this history of Big Band, bringing smoky elegance to pieces by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Natalie Cole and more. Voices of jazz royalty are referenced through Masters’ renditions of Ella Fitzgerald’s I Got it Bad (And That Ain’t Good) and the poise of Peggy Lee’s I Love Being Here With You.

Don’t miss this roaring celebration of Harlem ballrooms and concert halls, taking us on a journey from Dixieland to swinging Jazz Orchestra at its finest.

Presented by the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.