Jazz Calendar

Looking for that special experience (versus just another ‘thing’) as an early stocking stuffer this season? We’ve got just the ticket – literally 😉 Join the 19-piece Compaq Big Band with Vocalist Elizabeth Embser at one of our most popular venues in the last few years, Sanctuary - Cultural Arts Center in Maynard, Massachusetts. We are STOKED to return again to be featured at ‘Sanctuary’s Big Band Christmas’ on Sunday December 7th! Coincidentally, Maynard is where the band was born! (see below).

If you don’t know Sanctuary, you should – check out www.sanctuarymaynard.com. Hip, historic architecture, great sound system, and a warm, cozy full bar staffed by wonderful servers. Also, feel free to bring in takeaway fare from a variety of cool Downtown Maynard restaurants.

Sanctuary is located at 82 Main Street in Maynard, with plenty of free parking on-street and in nearby municipal lots.

This will be an amazing evening filled with seasonal favorites like you’ve never heard them before - exciting, inspirational, and just plain fun. Even the biggest Grinch can’t help but get in the Christmas spirit when the inside of this great old church echoes with the sounds of the most wonderful time of the year!

The show runs 7:00pm-9:30pm. Tickets are $23pp-$33pp. See the seating chart in the link below for details on Reserved Seating at Cabaret and High-Top tables, as well as General Admission. Since we have SOLD OUT previous holiday shows at Sanctuary QUICKLY, we strongly recommend advance ticket purchase by going to www.sanctuarymaynard.com. Walk-ins night of welcomed as space permits, with a $2 upcharge over on-line sales. Doors open 6:00pm.

IMPORTANT: *** DUE TO SCAMMERS THAT MAY CREATE VERY AUTHENTIC-LOOKING WEB SITES, AND/OR COMMENT TO THIS FACEBOOK POST OFFERING TICKETS VIA PERSONAL SALE, BUY TICKETS DIRECTLY FROM THE VENUE OFF THEIR TICKETING LINK ABOVE ONLY! WE’LL TAKE DOWN FRAUDSTERS’ COMMENTS, AND BLOCK & REPORT THEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE ***

While not specifically programmed as a ‘dance’, there will be floor space to do so if the Christmas spirit moves you 😉

The styles you’ll hear on December 7th run the gamut from traditional swing to very UNtraditional jazz rock, ballad, samba and jazz waltz tunes – dominated by high-energy instrumental arrangements from legendary big band arrangers such as Gordon Goodwin, Count Basie, Tom Kubis, Sammy Nestico, Dave Metzger, and John Clayton.

Out in front of the band on stage that evening we’ll have the ultra-talented Elizabth Embser, channelin’ Ella Fitzgerald and much more - only the best vocal treatments of seasonal classics.

Elizabeth Embser is a rising jazz vocalist, composer, and educator residing in Greater Boston. She received a Bachelors in Vocal Performance from Ithaca College, and more recently obtained a Masters in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory. Sharing and expressing music has become an intrinsic part of her life. In addition to teaching at NEC Prep and singing with local jazz and classical groups, her own jazz quartet has performed at the famed Mad Monkfish in Cambridge, MA.

To get a tiny sample of what you’re in for, take a listen to the Tom Kubis Big Band performing the instrumental “Joy To The World” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Tx6lZEzNo.

Check out www.compaqbigband.com

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The Compaq Big Band has a strong connection to Maynard, having started out as the DECbigband at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1975, just a block or so down Main Street in the Civil War era textile mill that was the for many years DEC headquarters – hence Maynard’s moniker of ‘Minicomputer Capital of the World”.