Stetson Jazz Ensemble to feature Linda Cole

Jazz Concert 400-copyThe Stetson University Jazz Ensemble will present Florida’s own, Linda Cole, jazz vocalist extraordinaire, in concert Wednesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m., in the Stetson Room, second floor of the Carlton Union Building, 131 E. Minnesota Ave., on Stetson’s DeLand campus. Under the leadership of Music Professor Patrick Hennessey, director of Stetson’s Jazz Ensemble, Stetson’s 17-member big band will perform selections that honor both the Great American Songbook, as well as Cole’s family’s musical heritage.

“In line with Cole’s own commitment to the legacy of jazz, our audience can expect to hear an array of selections from the big band as well,” said Hennessey. “From the Fascinating Rhythm(s) of George Gershwin to a bluesy ride on Jimmy Forrest’s Night Train, the band will be swinging from the start. Add to that other works from Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Henry Mancini and Nat Adderley, the evening promises to be a kick off to the concert season on all the right notes.”

Known as Central Florida’s “Lady Of Song,” Cole’s vast array of accomplishments include her many performance tributes to her relative, the late great Nat “King” Cole, and to the great humanitarian and Medal of Freedom recipient, Pearl Bailey, all while paying homage to the Great American Songbook.

Her many accomplishments include: opening act for Bob Newhart and the London Symphony, performances with the Temptations, Chuck Mangione, Spyro Gyra, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Richard Elliot, David Benoit and Vassar Clements, and a performance with the world celebrated musical artist, Kym Purling. She presented a post 9/11 patriotic musical medley for former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani, performed the National Anthem for the Rolex 24-Hour Race at NASCAR, performed with the Count Basie Orchestra, Terry Myers and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and Greg Parnell of the Glenn Miller Productions. She performed several times at the Ritz-Carlton Resorts and the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.

Cole is one of the only female singers in the State of Florida to perform (annually) with the Altamonte Springs Big Band (currently the Sanford Big Band), the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra, the Stetson Jazz Ensemble, the Daytona Beach Concert Band, the Space Coast Jazz Orchestra, and numerous jazz festivals, including the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and the New Smyrna Beach Jazz Festival.