ISSUED: 20 February 2018
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The United States Navy Band Commodores “Jazz at Shepherd!” concert has been rescheduled for Saturday,March 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Frank Center Theater. The performance is free and open to the public.
The U.S. Navy Band Commodores is the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, having performed big band jazz for more than 40 years. Formed in 1969, this 18-member group, led by Senior Chief Musician William C. Mulligan, continues the jazz big band legacy. The Commodores’ mission includes public concerts, national concert tours, a ceremonial support in honoring our veterans, jazz education classes and clinics, and protocol performances for high-level military and civilian government officials.
The list of guest artists who have appeared with the Commodores includes Ray Charles, Branford Marsalis, Clark Terry, Grover Washington, Jr., Chris Potter, Jerry Bergonzi, Eddie Daniels, and James Moody. They have appeared on television shows, played nearly all major jazz festivals, and toured across the United States and abroad. In conjunction with the Airmen of Note (Air Force) and the Army Blues (Army), the Commodores host their own annual jazz festival, the Joint Service Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.
The Commodores write and arrange much of their vast library of music. Their concerts are an eclectic mix of traditional big band music, jazz vocal arrangements, and fresh new instrumental music written specifically for the Commodores. Their most recent recording, “Directions,” was released in 2009 to critical acclaim.
For more information about the U.S. Navy Commodore’s concert or other Department of Music events, call 304-876-5555 or visit www.shepherd.edu/music.
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