Swing band kicks off ‘Jazz in January' series

HACKETTSTOWN — The Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra kicks off its “Jazz in January” series at the Centenary Stage Company on Saturday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. Featuring a concert program entitled “Salute to the Jazz Masters,” this 17-piece orchestra includes some of the best musicians in New York City, many of whom have played with Ellington, Basie, Herman, Jones, Hampton and Rich. The band is led by Dennis Mackrel, “hailed as a gifted talent early on in his career by Count Basie, who proclaimed that the talented drummer and arranger was going to be a monster some day,” according to organizers. Mackrel’s compositions and arrangements have been recorded and performed internationally by ensembles such as The WDR Radio Big Band in Cologne, Germany, The RIAS Radio Big Band in Berlin, Germany, The Klüvers Big Band in Denmark, and The McCoy Tyner Big Band, whose Grammy winning CD’s “The Turning Point” and “Journey” included four of Dennis’s arrangements. Tickets for the Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra are $25 in advance and $30 at the door, with discounts for students 18 years and under, at $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The three concert jazz series is now on sale for subscription price of $65 for all events, and it includes the Jan. 23 “String of Pearls” concert as well as the Jan. 30 Jay Leonhart “All Star Sextet” concert. Tickets are available online at www.centenarystageco.org and at the CSC Box office at 908-979-0900. Tickets can also be purchased at the Skylands Community Bank, Mama’s Café Baci, The Inn at Panther Valley, Hackettstown Trading Post, the Prickly Pear Restaurant, and the Schooleys Mountain General Store.