NEWS
New Hampshire
humanities
Connecting People and Ideas
Charlie at Plymouth State Univ. on October 15th!
The Evolution of Jazz:
Seacoast New Hampshire’s Contribution
In this multi-media presentation sponsored by New Hampshire "Humanities To Go," jazz educator and performer Charlie Jennison presents some of the influential players, venues and organizations that contributed to the rich and diverse jazz scene in the Seacoast area. Through photographs, recordings, and personal narratives, Charlie, an early member of the Seacoast Jazz Society, paints a colorful picture of the growth and development of this significant American art form in New Hampshire from the 1950s to the present day. This presentation, originally developed for the 2021 Seacoast Jazz Society lecture series, is designed for remote applications.
The Seacoast Big Band plays at the Prescott Park Jazz Festival
On August 24, 2024, the Seacoast Big Band returned to Prescott Park to perform at the annual Tommy Gallant Jazz Festival. We had taken off the previous year for a different line-up, but popular demand brought the band back to a swinging performance with guest artist Alexa Tarantino on alto saxophone. I was fortunate to still play the lead alto chair and, as shown below, got to play a couple of solos with the band on that warm afternoon.
The band also played a concert for the students of the University of New Hampshire's Summer Youth Music school in July. Vocalist James Geralden contributed his talents and some swinging charts to that occasion. With the assistance of the Seacoast Jazz Society, plans are in the works for a holiday concert at a yet to be named venue in Portsmouth. We'll keep you posted!
