The Explorations in the Arts series is a unique mix of performances created with a recipe of live performance, stirred together with a pinch of Q&A and a dash of audience participation. We strive to bring artists to Craven County from throughout North Carolina that represent the very best in performance.
John Brown Big Band
Concert - Big Band Jazz Orchestra
Friday, January 24, 2025 - 7:30 p.m.
Grover C. Fields Performing Arts Center
Tickets: VIP $60 / Adults $40 / Students $20
Video preview is available here.
In celebration of Craven Community College’s 60th anniversary, the Lifetime Learning Center is pleased to welcome John Brown Big Band to help us celebrate with a presentation titled "The Roots of Jazz."
John Brown Big Band is a full 19-piece jazz orchestra made up of the top jazz musicians from North Carolina and beyond. The group performs a wide range of material covering all eras of jazz repertoire including the music and arrangements of legends like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Woody Herman, and more. The band also delights in highlighting compositions of Carolina natives like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Nina Simone.
Bassist, composer, educator, actor, and Jazz ambassador John Brown leads the band. A native of Fayetteville, NC, John’s extensive experience includes performances at notable venues like Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Blue Note, Blues Alley, and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as major jazz festivals like the Playboy Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Free Jazz Festival (Brazil), and Jazz e Vienne (France).
He currently serves as Vice Provost for the Arts, Director of the Jazz Program and Professor of the Practice of Music at Duke University, and has served on the faculties of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University and Guilford College (NC).
John and his musicians are committed to jazz education. As a professor and Director of the Jazz Program at Duke University, he makes education a part of his daily life. He and members of the band will present a Jazz workshop for area high school music students during the band’s visit to New Bern.
Reserved VIP seating will be available in the first four rows at the Performing Arts Center with a $60 ticket purchase. The remainder of the seating will be designated as general admission.
Contact Information
Lifetime Learning Center
Brock Administration Building
New Bern Campus
252-633-2618