Free jazz concert at the Rockwell this Friday evening features 18-piece big band

The Rockwell on Memorial Boulevard is the site of this Friday evening's free jazz concert sponsored by the Bristol Arts & Culture Fund, Inc. | Laura Bailey

Posted By: David Fortier April 24, 2024

The Stanley Street Big Band, with its 18-piece orchestra comprised of the area’s best jazz musicians, will be featured at a free concert at the Rockwell Theater on Memorial Boulevard this Friday evening.

The show begins at 7 p.m. with Bristol Eastern and Bristol Central Jazz Bands, playing together under the guidance of Patrick Lennon, a regionally known trumpet players, said Greg Hahn, president of concert sponsor Bristol Arts & Culture Fund, in a release today.

“The purpose of this program, which is also funded by the BACF, is to provide instruction on improvisation techniques as well as to strengthen the jazz programs and promote an understanding that playing an instrument doesn’t end when the students graduate,” Hahn said.

The Stanley Street Big Band will perform from 8 to 9 p.m. The band is led by Dr. Carl Knox, a professor at Central Connecticut State University.

“The Stanley Street Big Band plays a varied repertoire everyone can enjoy,” said Hahn. “We look forward to playing in this beautiful theater as well as seeing the wonderful talent of the next generation of jazz musicians coming up in the ranks.”

The Bristol Arts & Culture Fund, Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that seeks to provide cultural enrichment opportunities for the residents of the city of Bristol and throughout the region, by nurturing and encouraging local artists, and organizations to enhance the overall quality of our community through direct engagement. 

BACF partners within a diverse community to inspire and support dynamic events and projects that cultivate the proliferation of the arts and culture to the greater Bristol region. The organization seeks to provide access and education of the arts and culture to all with a variety of opportunities through community leadership, future scholarships, grants, and gift planning.

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