It was ladies night at the Kennedy Center when drummer Sherrie Maricle and her all female big band, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra took to the stage at the KC Jazz Club on Friday, December 16.
The KC Jazz Club is a very intimate setting that lets the audience get up close and personal with the artists. On this cold December evening, the room was reminiscent of the jazz clubs of old with the DIVA Orchestra offering a big band sound.
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas is a holiday album originally recorded by Ella Fitzgerald in the summer of 1960. It also happens to be Maricles favorite album. During the concettg he shared the amount of time and research she put into bringing the re-orchestrated music to the stage. It was a labor of love that resulted in a rich celebration of Ella Fitzgerald’s legacy.
The set included “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”, “Sleigh Ride”, “The Christmas Song” and more holiday fare. Vocalists Camille Thurman, Sue Giles, and Brenda Earle Stokes were featured in the show on several songs, adding their silky, smooth voices to an already captivating set.
Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra are a great ensemble worth seeing more than once if you love jazz or if you just enjoy seeing a group of female musicians rock the stage with the big band sound.
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