DeVonne Gardner
The Chattanooga community will have the opportunity to hear from two jazz musicians from Philadelphia, April 14-17. DeVonne Gardner, vocalist, and A. Bruce Frazier, jazz trumpeter and band leader, will appear at UTC, the Center for Creative Arts High School, and First-Centenary United Methodist Church.
Review for DeVonne Gardner:
Ms. Gardner was chosen through an audition at age 16 by the great Duke Ellington to be a soloist with his orchestra in his second Sacred Concert. She then sang with Mr. Ellington until his death, touring world-wide with the Duke for eight years, and continued to sing with his band after his son Mercer Ellington assumed leadership. Ms. Gardner, a remarkable soprano, has also sung with orchestras in Israel and the US under the leadership of famed conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, and Bobby McFerrin. She has also enjoyed a distinguished career as a teacher of voice. She has sung in Chattanooga twice before, in 2006 and 2009 in presentations of the Ellington Sacred Concerts.
Review for A. Bruce Frazier:
Mr. Frazier is a noted trumpeter, arranger, and bandleader whose lyrical tone quality and melodic phrasing have created a demand for his music at venues from solo concerts to conventions. He is featured in several recordings, and has contributed his talents to large national church organizations as well. He is an advocate for the arts, and has taught mathematics for 25 years, in addition to serving as a school administrator. Mr. Frazier played in the Ellington Sacred Concert in Chattanooga in 2009.
Ms. Gardner and Mr. Frazier will appear in a master-class at UTC, in Cadek Recital Hall, on Thursday, April 14, at 3 p.m. They will visit the Center for Creative Arts High School on April 15.
They will be featured musicians at First-Centenary United Methodist Church (McCallie at Houston) in two services on Sunday, April 17, at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m., accompanied by the local jazz pianist Dave Walters. All are welcome.
This opportunity to hear from Ms. Gardner and Mr. Frazier is supported by First-Centenary United Methodist Church, UTC Prof. Emeritus Roland Carter, and the Ruth S. Holmberg Professor of American Music at UTC, Jonathan McNair.
A. Bruce Frazier