It sounds like a bit of standard promotional hype when Rodney Whitaker says "there's something for everyone" in describing the upcoming holiday show by the MSU Professors of Jazz. Then the MSU Director of Jazz Studies explains the performers, set list and arrangements for the Dec. 19 show, called A Jazzy Little Christmas, and it's apparent he's being honest rather than hyperbolic.
"There is something in it for everyone," he reiterates, noting that the evening will include Christmas songs done with jazz arrangements as well as some jazz standards and selections from the Great American Songbook by the likes of Hoagy Carmichael, Ira Gershwin and Johnny Mandel.
For vocals, Whitaker has enlisted several singers who regularly perform in other styles, including opera, gospel, and R&B. The unique vocal lineup includes soprano Melanie Helton, who will sing the jazzy "Let it Snow" and "Merry Christmas Darling", as well as the R&B-influenced Matthew Hunter, who will showcase his range with performances of "O' Holy Night" and the Donny Hathaway classic, "This Christmas." MSU Associate Professor Richard Fracker, a tenor who has performed regularly in opera houses and concert halls throughout the world, including ten seasons at New York's Metropolitan Opera (MET), will sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock."
"MSU has an amazing vocal performance faculty," he says. "Some of the performers we'll be featuring may have a strong background in opera or gospel, but they can really belt out a jazz song."
Whitaker is quick to note that the evening will also include some topnotch jazz singers, including Sunny Wilkinson and the Grammy-nominated vocalist Betty Joplin. And, of course, the music features a crack ensemble of world-class musicians from MSU's jazz studies program. The Professors of Jazz features faculty members Wessel Anderson (alto sax), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Randy Gelispie (drums), Diego Rivera (tenor sax), Rick Roe (piano), as well as Whitaker and Wilkinson. It's a distinguished ensemble that has performed with the likes of Count Basie, Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane and modern-day masters such as Wynton Marsalis.
"All of the artists are world-class performers who participate in concerts all over the world. You would have to fly to New York, San Francisco or other parts of the world to hear many of these artists perform," Whitaker says.
A Jazzy Little Christmas takes place on Sat., Dec. 19, 8 p.m. at Wharton Center's Pasant Theatre. Tickets for the concert are $25 and are only available at the Wharton Center Box Office by calling (517) 432-2000 OR (800) WHARTON. For more information about the show, call the MSU Collge of Music Office at (517) 353-5340.
