08/23/12 Encore Performing Arts will close out the Music in the Park series with a program to please all jazz aficionados. South Bend native Danny Barber ‘Trumpeter Extraordinaire’ and the Jazz Cats will be on hand this Friday, August 24 at the Young Amphitheater in beautiful  Centennial Park.

Barber is known throughout the music world for his sound, power and musicality. He’s been at it a long time beginning his professional career at age 15. While in the army with the United States Army Jazz Ensemble, he toured throughout the U.S. After discharge from the service, he played with the Tommy Dorsey Band as first trumpeter.

He’s played with and for the greatest—Doc Severinsen, Tony Bennett, Benny Goodman, both junior and senior Sinatras, Bernadette Peters, Joni Mitchell, Dennis DeYoung and Styx, to name a few. Broadway shows include “Fiddler on the Roof”, “Man of La Mancha”, “Zorba”, “Bye Bye, Birdie”, “42nd Street”, “No, No, Nannette”, “Les Miserables”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “Sunset Boulevard”, “West Side Story”, “Chicago”, “Annie” and “Grease”.

The Jazz Cats evolved in 2005 and have become a group of seasoned world class musicians. The group plays music from the libraries of Duke Ellington, Parker, Garner, Jobim, Nat King Cole, Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis and many tunes from the Cole Porter library—well over 2,000 songs.

The group is composed of Barber on the trumpet, Eric Schneider on saxophone and clarinet, Bobby Shiff on piano who is their composer, arranger and band leader, Chuck Web on bass and Bob Rumage, studio musician.

Dennis DeYoung of Styx commented, “Danny Barber is one of the great musicians it has been my pleasure to be associated with over the years. Danny is truly a great trumpeter and soloist; his sound and interpretation of any style of music is extraordinary. He has been involved with me on my recordings and live performances. He is truly an asset in any musical situation.”

To learn more about the group, go to his website at www.dannybarber.com.

The show is underwritten by the generosity of the Gibson Foundation.

Debi Gidley, Encore’s Executive Director, will interview Barber on WTCA1050 on Thursday morning.

A special treat is the return of Mewsette Cartwright and dancers from LifePlex Dance Academy who will entertain in a pre-show performance at 6:15. Bring a lawn chair, your favorite beverage and a picnic to enjoy this special music in a delightful setting. If you don’t want to cook, Delta Theta Tau will once again be offering refreshments—each performance having a special that reflects the group performing.

Gates open at 6:00 p.m. with the performance at 7:00. Tickets are $10 for adults and children and K-12 students with a student ID are free. Tickets are available at the Encore Office, A.S.K. for Flowers, The Pilot News, Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, WTCA and Plymouth Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information, contact Debi Gidley at Encore Performing Arts, 1305 W. Harrison Street, Plymouth at 935-5438 or log on to their website at www.encoreperformingarts.org. She will be on WTCA’s ‘What’s Your Opinion’ show at 10 a.m. Thursday morning.