Charleston Jazz Orchestra starts with concert of Ellington and sounds of holiday favorites

Charleston's newest big band hopes to kick off its inaugural season with a swingin' good time.

The Charleston Jazz Orchestra and band leader Charlton Singleton will present a concert of holiday favorites, most notably Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite" at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Charleston Music Hall. The show will be performed as two sets with an intermission.

The 20-piece band debuted as the Charlton Singleton Orchestra in March at the music hall. Singleton billed the show as the "South Carolina Hit Parade," a two-hour show where jazz music composed or made popular by South Carolinians was played.

"It's actually an evolution from that show," says Jack McCray, Wednesday evening's emcee and producer of the project. "We decided to make this kind of entertainment option available for more than just one shot."

The Charleston Jazz Orchestra hopes to establish itself as a resident big-band jazz ensemble. Other shows planned for 2009 include "The Music of Count Basie," "A Tribute to Duke Ellington," "Latin Jazz Night," "Jazz Vocalists Night" and a reprise of the "South Carolina Hit Parade."

Singleton gathered many of the finest musicians in the Charleston area to make up the supergroup, such as drummer Quentin Baxter, trumpeter Chuck Dalton, saxophonist Mark Sterbank, bassist Kevin Hamilton and vocalist Ann Caldwell.

"We think we have among the best, if not the best, jazz musicians in the area," McCray says. "As you might imagine, it takes quite a bit — talent and resources and availability of scheduling — to get this many musicians to come together."

While Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite" is an adaptation, his version still holds true to Peter Tchaikovsky's intent.

And most of all, it swings, the basis for Ellington's compositions.

"Hopefully, like a hammock in a hurricane," McCray says.

Singleton, the artistic director, is a well-regarded instrumentalist, educator, composer and arranger.

"Personally, I think he's a genius," McCray says. "He brings the skill sets of a performer and an aesthetician. He's a great band leader, organizer. ... And in my mind, that makes him a lot like Ellington."

The CJO will play all forms of jazz, its sound defined by Charlestonian Freddie Green's "Corner Pocket," Ellington's "Happy Go Lucky Local" and Count Basie's "Splanky." The band's repertoire comprises blues, swing, Afro-Cuban, bop, progressive, Latin, ballads and gospel.

The project benefits the nonprofit efforts of the Jazz Artists of Charleston and Charleston Jazz Initiative. The Jazz Artists' mission is to promote awareness and education, including preservation of jazz history, particularly in the context of Charleston.

For Wednesday's concert, admission is $30 in advance and $40 the day of the show. Tickets for students with valid IDs will be available for $15 at noon the day of the show.

Tickets can be bought online at http://jazzartistsofcharleston.org or etix.com, by telephone at 800-514-3849 or in person at all Cat's Music or Monster Music locations.

Reach Rob Young at 937-5518 or ryoung@postandcourier.com.