Melba Joyce and her Big Band at Mid Summer Night’s Swing on July 14 by Lia Chang

Melba Joyce

One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is Lincoln Center’s annual dance event, “Mid Summer Night’s Swing.” Melba Joyce and her Big Band will play two sets of dance music, at 7:30pm and 9pm, on Tuesday, July 14 at Damrosch Park, (62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues).

The big band era had only a few female band leaders – Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday were two – but now veteran jazz songbird Melba Joyce joins their ranks. Joyce, who has sung with The Count Basie Orchestra and The Lionel Hampton Orchestra as well as made numerous recordings, has assembled a constellation of New York jazz all stars to perform this summer.

The band features Helen Sung on piano, Wally Gator on Drums, Melissa Slocum on bass, Michael Slocum on bass and trumpets, Michael Howell, guitar, Tanya Darby, Freddie Hendrix, Shawn Edmonds and Valery Pomomarve on trumpet, Don Braden and Anat Cohen on tenor sax, Cleve Guyton and Leticia Benjamin on alto sax, Lauren Savian on baritone sax, Debra Weisz, Benny Powell and Clarence Banks on trombone and Barry Cooper on bass trombone.

The group will swing the standards, the no-so standards, old tunes, new tunes some Latin on the side.

“I am dedicating this evening to the memory of my father, Melvin Moore, who was a big band singer in the 40′s and 50′ celebrated in The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame. He sang and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Neil Hefti, Lucky Millinder and Ernie Fields to name a few,” shared Miss Joyce.

www.melbajoyce.com
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