Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra play hot big band jazz

Jan 4, 2006

For Immediate Release

Contact: Annie Matlow 326-3136

SPOKANE: The Spokane Symphony, DIVA Jazz Orchestra and Maestro Morihiko Nakahara will blow away the winter blues, or post-holiday let-down, with a performance on Saturday, Jan 14 at 8 p.m. in the Spokane Opera House.

DIVA is a concert jazz orchestra steeped in the history of jazz but infused with the progressive harmonies of today. The musicians of the Symphony will again have an opportunity to show what fine jazzmen they are when they join DIVA on stage.

The band is based in New York City and plays contemporary, mainstream big band jazz composed and arranged by band members and renowned writers including Tommy Newsom, Ellen Rowe, Rich Shemaria, and Scott Whitfield. DIVA's unique sound is a result of their repertoire being composed expressly for the individual personalities of the musicians themselves. What audiences can expect to hear is powerful ensemble playing and creative soloists playing with all the spontaneity, originality and finesse of the jazz masters who have preceded them.

DIVA was founded by Stanley Kay, a former manager and relief drummer for the Buddy Rich Big Band. In 1990, Kay was conducting a band where Maricle was playing drums. Impressed by her skill, Kay wondered if there were other women musicians with a similar caliber of musicianship. A nationwide audition of players produced a core group of musicians who performed their first concert in March of 1993.

DIVA has performed in some of the world's most prestigious music venues, where they have received critical acclaim. Venues include:
• Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra at a sold-out concert
• John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.)
• Verizon Jazz Festival at Lincoln Center (New York, New York)
• Lionel Hampton Jazz Room at Le Meridien Hotel (Paris, France)
• Teatro de Sistina (Rome, Italy)
• Hollywood Bowl for the Playboy Jazz Festival
• Blue Note (New York, New York)
• Harrah's (Lake Tahoe)
• Cinegrill (Hollywood, California)
• SS Norway and QE2 Jazz Cruises
• Berlin (Germany) Jazz Festival
• Bern (Switzerland) Jazz Festival
• Salzburg (Austria) Music Festival
• Montreal and Ottawa (Canada) International Jazz Festivals
• Jamaica Jazz Festival
• Bogota (Colombia) International Jazz Festival
• Zagreb (Croatia) Jazz Festival
• Pori (Finland) Jazz Festival
• Symphony Halls in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Cleveland

Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, DeeDee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Jones, Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Tommy Newsom, and Randy Brecker have performed with DIVA in the United States and abroad.

Television appearances include multiple features on CNN's Arts Break, CBS Sunday Morning, a spotlight presentation on the Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary Special, a feature on Japanese television's NHK network, as well as various local cable programs.
A CD tribute to Tommy Newsom TNT was just released. Music critics all over the world have praised DIVA's CD, Live in Concert. The band's other CDs include I Believe in You, Leave it to DIVA, and Something's Coming.

.Tickets are on sale for $17, $26, $34, and $39. Call the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office at (509) 624-1200 or go to the Spokane Symphony Ticket Office, 818 W. Riverside. Tickets are also available, with service charges, through TicketsWest at 325-SEAT, 1-800-325-SEAT and at www.spokanesymphony.org.