The internationally known Blue Wisp Big Band brings its saxes, trumpets, ‘bones and rhythm section to wow the Music@BCM audience in Devou Park tonight.
The Blue Wisp Big Band was founded in 1980 by trumpeter Don Johnson and drummer John Von Ohlen, a percussionist with the great Stan Kenton and Woody Herman orchestras. The band got its start and name at Cincinnati’s Blue Wisp Jazz Club, where it played every Wednesday night for more than three decades, until the club closed in 2014.
The band started recording in 1981, with its first LP sponsored by TV station WKRC, followed by four for the Mopro label which were reissued on CDs in the mid -’90s. The group of all-star local musicians continues one of the longest musical residencies in the region, performing its vintage Big Band jazz weekly at Urban Artifact in Cincinnati.
The concert takes place under the stars in BCM’s beautiful outdoor amphitheater at 1600 Montague Road-Devou Park in Covington 41011. In the event of rain, the performance moves indoors. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the performance from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-12. BCM members admitted free with a paying guest. Adult beverages will be available for purchase; Behringer Crawford members will receive one free drink ticket. Concertgoers also can purchase food from Colonial Cottage and support local youth and community organizations in the process.
The next Music@BCM concert (and dance party), featuring Leroy Ellington and The E-Funk Band, will be held on Thursday, July 16. The concerts continue each Thursday evening through August 20, when a bonus concert starring dynamic bandleader, keyboardist, song stylist and “Goddess of the Blues” Cheryl Renee will wrap up the 2015 series.
Leroy Ellington and his E-Funk Band will bring their mix of R&B, funk and soul, pop, rock, blues and standards to the Music@BCM stage in Devou Park on Thursday, July 16 at 7 p.m.
One of the area’s most popular party bands for the last two decades, Ellington and his dynamic eight-piece band will get your whole gang up on their feet dancing. Ellington founded the group in the early 1990s after touring as a sax player with the Doo Wop group Richie and the Students, then with Stacy Mitchhart’s Blues U Can Use. Today, they have a loyal following for their versatility, serving up anything from cocktail jazz to pure funk.
The following concert, featuring local legend Tim Goshern, takes place Thursday, July 23.
For more information about Music@BCM, call (859) 491-4003, email info@bcmuseum.org or visit www.bcmuseum.org.
From the Behringer-Crawford Museum