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Independence Jazz Reunion
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Artist Summary:
Performance Type: Instrumental Ensemble
Performance Style(s): Jazz
Official Web Site:
http://www.ijr.net
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The Independence Jazz Reunion originated in 1957 in Philadelphia at the
University of Pennsylvania under the name of Pennsylvania's Six-Pence. At that
time three of the boys were attending high school and three were attending the
University of Pennsylvania.
Touring on weekends and vacations, as time would allow, the young musicians
performed at over 26 colleges along the east coast highlighted by a concert in
Carnegie Hall. They shared the stage with Eddie Condon, Billy May, Kai Winding,
and Wilbur de Paris. They performed several times at the Bermudian, Elbow Beach
Surf Club, and Princess hotels in Bermuda, and were featured in New York City at
the Biltmore Hotel, Jimmy Ryan's night club, and the Village Gate. In 1959 the
group released their first album, "The Saints Come Marching In", on Westminster
Records.
That Summer the energetic young band toured Europe spreading their unique
classic jazz/swing/Dixie gospel to the receptive European audiences. Upon
returning, instead of auditioning for the Ed Sullivan Show as scheduled, they
disbanded when leader-entrepreneur Rick Lundquist was drafted into the U.S.
Army.
Now, decades since those wonderful musical memories, these lifelong friends are
rekindling their boyhood dreams reinventing their refreshing and innovative
music, and playing the spectrum of jazz entertainment.
Having realized a dream put on hold so many years earlier, Independence Jazz
Reunion> took the show on the road after 1997's release of the critically
acclaimed "Rekindling the Dream" - a U.S. News & World Report "Top Pick" and an
album hailed in the Washington Post as "...more than just an exercise in
exquisite jazz." The band kept the tape rolling for performances from 1998 to
2001, and have carefully selected music from those concerts for an upcoming live
album. The end result captures the love, inspired playing, laughter of course,
and sincere respect for the art of jazz music that mark every Independence
performance.
Just as in the old days, the band members have convened on weekends and
vacations to share their music with audiences around North America. The
performances for "Reclaiming Independence" were recorded in many different
locales - venues as intimate as the Lamb's Theatre in New York, as prestigious
as the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and with the grandeur of the Amphitheater
at Chautauqua Institution. In much the same way, this upcoming album highlights
the stylistic journey through jazz history for which the band is known. Whether
it's the rollicking sound of a Dixieland tune, a stirring saxophone ballad, or a
humorous story told over a bass solo, every selection paints a different
picture, and sings a different melody. As the band continues to tell its own
tale, sharing great memories and making wonderful new ones, the music only gets
better with age.
Downloads:
Click on a link to open it, or right-click on an item and select "Save Target As..." to save it to your computer.
Video Clips (Windows Media wmv Format):
Independence Jazz Reunion
Promotional Video (23 MB)
Video DVD (DVD Disc ISO image in a Zip file):
Independence Jazz
Reunion Promotional DVD (376 MB)
Audio Samples (MP3 Format):
Jumpin' With Symphony Sid
But Not For Me
Customs
Alexander's Ragtime Band
St. James Infirmary
It's Impossible To Sing &
Play The Bass
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