The U.S. Navy’s Commodores will present a free concert at Lake Geneva Middle School at 3 p.m. Sunday.
The Commodores, a specialty unit of the United States Navy Band in Washington, D.C., features 18 of the Navy’s top jazz and “big band” musicians. Since their founding in 1969, the Commodores have become one of the most acclaimed jazz ensembles in the country.
Led by Senior Chief Musician William C. Mulligan, the Commodores’ mission includes public concerts, national concert tours, ceremonial support in honoring veterans, jazz education classes and clinics, and protocol performances for high-level military and civilian government officials.
Guest artists who have appeared with the Commodores include Ray Charles, Branford Marsalis, Clark Terry, Grover Washington Jr., Chris Potter, Jerry Bergonzi, Eddie Daniels and James Moody. They have appeared on television shows, played major jazz festivals and toured across the United States and abroad. In conjunction with the Air Force’s Airmen of Note and the Army Blues, the Commodores host their own annual jazz festival, the Joint Service Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C.
The Commodores write and arrange much of their music. Their concerts are a mix of traditional big band music, jazz vocal arrangements and fresh new instrumental music written specifically for the Commodores of today. Their most recent recording, “Directions,” was released in 2009.
The event is free but reservations are requested by completing the form available at badger.k12.wi.us or calling Lake Geneva Middle School at (262) 348-3000.
