August 23-25, 2024 - Tickets available NOW!! The 23rd Prescott Jazz Summit will be another great event. Musicians from all over the United States will perform for the entire weekend. Our Friday night concert will be at Elks Theater. In addition we will have the Saturday big band concert, the Sunday concert at the Hassayampa and the Jam Session at Murphy’s Sunday night.
Our first compilation CD after 32 years of performing. There are 36 different musicians performing on this recording. Recorded live on the road and in twelve different theaters. It covers over ten years of our tours.
We are planning a tour to happen in October, 2024. We will be touring in the Midwest and Eastern USA. More information to come.
The Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra was born from the continuing interest in Stan Kenton's style, music and legacy. Based on donations and support from fans, music educators, students and the general public, the orchestra performs numerous times a year and normally takes a tour through a section of the United States each year.
Join us at a concert, contact us for booking information or donate to our mission, Thank you.
.jpg/:/cr=t:33.83%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:32.34%25/rs=w:600,h:300,cg:true)
2/17/2024: Jazz in the Key of Love #2
3/9/2024: Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis to Chris Botti. Guest trumpet and vocalist – Mike Gurciullo
4/13/2024: Saxophilia 2 – A history of jazz saxophone. Tony Vacca, Dave Russell, Chris Counelis
5/11/2024: The Great American Song Book – Vito and Bridget Maynes – Guest Vocalists
6/8/2024: Swing into Summer – the music of the Big Band Era
Barry Dale – Guest Vocalist
7/13/2024: The Brazilian Influence – Samba, Bossa Nova and other treats - guest TBA
9/14/2024: TBA
10/19/2024: TBA
The Friends of Big Band Jazz is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization. Its goal is to help educate students and the public about jazz and big band music through a variety of events and programs.
FBBJ is the parent sponsor of the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, the Prescott Jazz Summit and a variety of events and programs created in the spirit of jazz education modeled on the efforts of the late Stan Kenton (1911-1979).
Friends of Big Band Jazz is a 501c3 non-profit corporation. In addition to providing clinics and music performances to more than 3000 organizations, the FBBJ has also given over $65,000 in scholarships to jazz camps, funds to jazz programs in schools, donations to help musicians in need, and a donation to Habitat for Humanity for the Musicians Village in New Orleans.
Mike Vax is very active in the music education field. He has done concerts and workshops in both the classical and jazz idioms at over 3000 high schools, colleges and universities all over the world. He is an international performing artist for the Warburton Musical Instrument Company.