Centennial Celebration of "First Lady of Song" Ella Fitzgerald features Carmen Bradford with Capital Jazz Orchestra

The Burlington Community Concert Series is pleased to announce that it will present A Centennial Celebration of the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, with The Capital Jazz Orchestra (Clayton “Skip” Poole, Music Director), and the breathtaking jazz artistry of Count Basie Orchestra alumnus and Ella Fitzgerald protégé, Carmen Bradford. The concert, coinciding with the beginning of Black History Month, will take place February 3, 2017, at 7:30 pm, in the Fogelberg Performing Arts Center.

Carmen Bradford, a world renown third generation jazz vocalist, will celebrate the centennial of “Miss Ella” by performing original versions of her early hits including “A Tiskit, A Tasket,” will continue with her unique vocal interpretations of classics like “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and round out the performance with exciting vocals of other selections made famous from the Great American Songbook.

The evening will also include Ms. Bradford’s intimate recollections of associating and working with the great “Miss Ella” in venues such as the renowned Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Discovered and hired by legendary band leader William “Count” Basie, Carmen Bradford was the featured vocalist with the Basie Band for nine years and has performed on two Grammy Award winning Basie albums. One of today’s greatest jazz vocal stars, she has recorded and performed with such jazz and pop royalty as Wynton Marsalis, Nancy Wilson, Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, James Brown, George Benson, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra and Joe Williams. She was also included in Forever Ella, an A&E Biography documentary about the life of the “First Lady of Song,” Ella Fitzgerald.

The Capital Jazz Orchestra, led by Music Director Clayton “Skip” Poole, is a highly acclaimed premier jazz big band orchestra that represents some of the best professional performing musicians from around the country. From bar one, each note and jazz solo they deliver emphasizes the spontaneity of the music in the same way it was originally performed, breathing new life into these masterpieces and exposing a whole new audience to sounds from the “greatest generation.”

This unique centennial concert is not to be missed. Tickets for A Centennial Celebration of the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald range between $5 and $25 and are available online at www.BurlingtonTheatre.com, by phone at 781-A-FUN-TIC, by email at tickets@bpsk12.org and at the door. Ticket price includes a complimentary reception during intermission.

The Fogelberg Performing Arts Center, a fully accessible venue, is located on the campus of Burlington High School, 123 Cambridge Street, Burlington, MA.