Classic Big Band, Latin rhythms, jitterbug, waltz, even some rock. That’s what Gill Harris and the Big Band Theory have in store for an 8 p.m. concert and dance Friday, Feb. 10 at Trotter Convention Center in downtown Columbus. Nineteen top-tier musicians from around the country and Columbus will play selections from standard-bearers such as Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Count Basie.
For Harris, the privilege of leading such a band is a “Walter Mitty” experience, something like a dream realized, one he wasn’t sure he would have again. At the time of last February’s annual concert, he was under hospice care.
“That word had a way of getting my attention,” Harris said Wednesday. “I do a lot of things differently and am much better than I was a year ago.”
Putting the band and concert together is a labor of love. The former director of engineering for Ceco Building Systems in Columbus has had a long affinity with Big Band’s layered harmonies and rhythms that so dominated the 1930s and 1940s. A trumpet player himself, Harris conducted a popular orchestra in the region from the 1970s until the mid-1980s. In 2009, he took up the mission of resurrecting the swing era’s signature sound and presenting annual concerts.
His Big Band Theory is comprised primarily of full-time professional musicians who play coast to coast for name performers, or teach music. Two instrumentalists from Columbus are in the orchestra: Rick Montalto, professor emeritus of music at Mississippi University for Women, on standup bass, and Skip Burkhart on fourth trumpet.
Featured vocalists are Denise Reid and Roger Burlingame of Columbus.
“All these incredible musicians walk in, sit down and sight-read everything I put in front of them,” praised Harris, who provides advance instructions to performers via email. He’s been fortunate to have known some of the Big Band giants, like Stan Kenton, Harry James and Woody Herman.
“Kenton taught me the most about leading bands; what a great musician, manager and person,” said Harris.
A community gift
While some regular fans of the February concerts are expert ballroom dancers, others are more casual dancers, or simply enjoy listening to the music. The band leader includes a variety of rhythms to accommodate them all.
“We love to dance,” said Elaine Hegwood, who attends with her husband, Floyd. “And my toes tap even when I’m not dancing.” Hegwood helped spearhead dedication of a plaque honoring Harris at Trotter Convention Center in September 2016. His commitment to putting the band and event together every year is a gift to the community, she said. Harris underwrites a significant portion of the expense himself.
“There is no way to sell enough tickets in Columbus to pay the salaries and rent,” Harris said. “It is my cruise, golf and football rolled into one, subsidized by my main passion, structural engineering.
“Through a lot of prayers — thanks to friends — the good Lord has given me some extra time,” he continued. “But I think he intends for it to be productive, so by setting some objectives and meeting them to establish a purpose in life, I feel very blessed.”
How to go
Tickets to Gill Harris and the Big Band Theory are $40 (cash or checks) in advance at the Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main St., or by calling 662-328-2787. Tickets are $45 at the Trotter Convention Center door. Reserve tables for up to 10 for $320. Soft drinks, ice and set-ups will be available at a cash bar. The 8 p.m. event is made possible, in part, by Ceco Building Systems, Reeds of Columbus and Trustmark Bank.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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