DeFranco Dons a Musical Costume

They are big shoes to fill, but on March 10, 2001 award-winning clarinetist Buddy DeFranco will be playing the role of Benny Goodman, recreating Goodman’s legendary 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall. DeFranco’s tribute will not be held at Carnegie Hall, however. Milwaukee’s Pabst Theatre will be Carnegie for a night as DeFranco, along with the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, pull out the same swing standards that made Goodman’s original concert so memorable.

The concert is the second in a four part series sponsored by the Hal Leonard Corporation. The series begins February 17th with a trio performance by saxophonist Bud Shank, trumpeter Clark Terry and bassist David Friesen. Harmonica player and gifted whistler Toots Thielemans will lead a quartet for the third concert on April 21st. Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez and his group The Motherland Project complete the series on May 19th playing Afro-Latin music Perez calls “jazz with rice and beans.”

All series concerts are held on Saturdays at 8pm at the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Capacity is about 1,400 and the concerts regularly sell out. For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Artists Series at the Pabst at 414-273-8777.

Originally Published December 18, 2000