St. Peter’s Episcopal Church presents the Big Band Express
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, located at 1 Hartford Road in Medford will present the Big Band Express (BBE), South Jersey’s premiere big band jazz ensemble in a free concert on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. A free will offering is requested.
The BBE, a 16-piece group of retired professional musicians and music educators, was founded in January 2001 by Medford saxophonist, Tony Femiano. Their specialty is contemporary big band music with an emphasis on jazz. The band features the music of many of the country’s finest composers and arrangers such as Sammy Nestico, Dave Wolpe, Tom Kubis, Count Basie and others, as well as arrangements by Femiano. For this concert the band will perform a variety of music, including ballads,up-tempo swing tunes and Latin jazz.
The members of the band, now “off the road,” are still working musicians who have performed with many of the major entertainers and bands of the last 40 years in Atlantic City, New York, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and elsewhere. Their interest in jazz goes beyond that of a “sideline” or “leisure pursuit” and shows a genuine love and passion for this musical idiom.
The Members of the band are:
Saxophones: Tony Femiano, alto sax and leader, Len Defrank, alto, Jim Giacone, tenor, Herb Smith, tenor; and Mickey Plumeri, baritone.
Trumpets: Rick Gazda, Don Zimmerman, Duke Palladino and Paul Nagle
Trombones: Tom Baird, Ed Cascarella, Jack Hanna and Joe Janis
Rhythm: Clarence Watson, keyboard; Nick Paveromo, bass; and Dennis Walter, drums.
For more information please call the church office at (609) 654–2963 or Tony Femiano at (608) 654–1855.
