Things to Do

Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra

513 Ship St.

St. Joseph, MI 49085

269-982-4030

This year the Gene Harris Coming Home Coming Together Concert will celebrate its 21st and final concert on Sunday, June 23, 2019, in City Center Park, Benton Harbor. The event will be hosted by Niki Haris.  The CHCT concert has been an annual community event to celebrate the importance of people from all communities and walks of life coming together in downtown Benton Harbor to appreciate the arts.  The event is named in honor of Gene Harris, a hometown talent who went on to become a shining star.  Gene was pleased to return and give back to the community. The community he truly loved. A city he was proud to call home.

The CHCT committee is excited to see the vitality of the Benton Harbor Arts District and feels it is time to focus on the other dynamic events that are happening.  Beth Haire-Lewis, daughter of Gene Haire, states, “This event supports the desire to create a life of inclusion, not exclusion, through music.  Till the launching of the concert 21 years ago, few major arts activities occurred in Benton Harbor.”  The Arts District continues to grow with new opportunities embracing the community.  This event is free for the entire community.

The CHCT committee is very proud of successfully accomplishing the goals for this “FREE” event over the past 20 years:

• To bring arts and cultural activities to all of our communities, with special emphasis on the residents of Benton Harbor.
• To promote the revitalization of the Benton Harbor Main Street corridor.
• To invite a diverse population to come together in fellowship to create new friendships and strengthen existing relationships.

The CHCT committee, comprised of community volunteers, is requesting your support of this farewell event through either a sponsorship  or donation. The Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra is acting as administrator and fiduciary agent for this final concert.

Free Concert June 23, 2019

WHAT:Coming Home Coming Together Farewell Concert
WHEN: June 23, 2019, 5:15PM

WHO:

• SANKOFA (local band)
• Work in Progress (local band)
• Ivan Akansiima Trio
• Charlene Jones
• Benton Harbor Drumline
• Bonita Mitchell

WHERE: Dwight “Pete” Mitchell City Center Park (Corner of Main and Pipestone)

FREE CONCERT

Gene Harris Bio: Gene Harris is an American jazz pianist celebrated for his warm sound and blues/gospel infused style known as “soul jazz,” a hometown talent who went on to become a shining star.  Gene was pleased and thrilled to return and give back to the community and city he truly loved; a place he was proud to call home.

One of the most accessible of all jazz pianists, Gene Harris' soulful style (influenced by Oscar Peterson and containing the blues-iness of a Junior Mance) was immediately likable and predictably excellent. After playing in an Army band (1951-1954), he formed a trio with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy which was, by 1956, known as the Three Sounds. The group was quite popular, and recorded regularly during 1956-1970 for Blue Note and Verve. Although the personnel changed and the music became more R&B-oriented in the early '70s, Harris retained the Three Sounds name for his later Blue Note sets. He retired to Boise, ID, in 1977, and was largely forgotten when Ray Brown persuaded him to return to the spotlight in the early '80s. Harris worked for a time with the Ray Brown Trio and led his own quartets in the years to follow, recording regularly for Concord and even heading the Phillip Morris Superband on a few tours. His 1998's Tribute to Count Basie earned a Grammy nomination.  He died on January 16, 2000, at the age of 66, while awaiting a kidney transplant..

The Box Factory for the Arts

1101 Broad Street, St. Joseph, MI

269.983.3688

Lake Effect Jazz Big Band at the BOX on June 28

We are happy to welcomeLake Effect Jazz Big Bandback to theBox Factory for the Arts!

Friday, June 28th

7:00 pm

General Admission $10

The Lake Effect Jazz Big Band is in its 19th year of bringing a unique blend of traditional and contemporary jazz big band music to the summer venues of beautiful southwest Michigan. The band performs new compositions for contemporary big bands as well as new arrangements of classic standards and golden oldies.  It performs music from the libraries of Stan Kenton, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Duke Ellington and others. The Lake Effect Jazz Big Band is committed to preserving the uniquely American art form of big band jazz in concert and jazz festival settings across Southwest Michigan.

The band is led by Steven L. Reed, retired instrumental music teacher for the St. Joseph Public Schools, where he taught jazz ensemble, orchestra, and band for 35 years.  Several members of the Lake Effect Jazz Big Band are current or retired music educators and jazz education is a priority for the LEJBB.

The Lake Effect Jazz Big Band will once again feature soloistBecky Derbas Selvidgefor two concerts at the Box this summer - June 28th and August 23rd.

The band performs between twelve and fifteen concerts each summer including Jazz Festivals, full length concerts at the Box Factory in St. Joseph, and outdoor venues in Southwest Michigan cities and townships.  Featured artists that have performed with the Lake Effect Jazz Big Band include vocalists Michelle Bythrow, Paul Mow, Katie Rohrer, Lisa Dabrowski, and Chicago jazz vocalist Tammy McCann. Instrumental soloists have included local trombonist Ed Bagatini, Chicago vibraphonist Jim Cooper, and Ann Arbor alto saxophonist Doug Horn.

The Box Factory for the Artsis located at1101 Broad Street, St. Joseph, MI 49085.

For more information, contact the Box Factory for the Arts at 269.983.3688 or visithttps://boxfactoryforthearts.org/

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