In a world in which live music has been trimmed to a pared-down menu amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff Anderson is setting the figurative table for a sumptuous smorgasbord Saturday.
He expects a 10-member ensemble of his Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra to serve generous samplers of everything from the Beatles to Bublé, from Sinatra to swing.
In fact, in a nearly 90-minute set for the group’s free outdoor performance at 6 p.m. at the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza — a concert meant primarily for the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic’s season ticket holders — Anderson figures tunes will reach a wide audience.
“I call it a ‘best of collection of the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra,’” said Anderson, the group’s founder and musical director.
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The show is a replacement for the Philharmonic’s originally planned season opener since the nearly 80-member orchestra will not able to safely congregate and rehearse until perhaps January, according to orchestra leaders. Anderson mentioned that his players will be masked and safely distanced amid a crowd expected to be just the same.
“We want to honor our faithful subscribers with a safe event that they can feel comfortable coming to,” said Pam Lego of the Philharmonic board.
The concert will mark the jazz group’s first performance in two months, Anderson said, since the Indianapolis area has been generally more conservative than Bartholomew County about public gatherings since spring. Philharmonic leaders say they are determined to find ways to safely provide live music even now, and what some have said as especially now, as people hunger for the arts’ hope, comfort, beauty and the like.
“We try to do music that people will easily and highly recognize,” Anderson said. “If people enjoy live music of any kind, I think they’ll definitely like us. We do a lot of stuff that people can hum along with and tap their foot to.”
As it normally does, the group will feature a pair of vocalists at the local concert.
“We’re very excited and definitely looking forward to it,” Anderson said. “Te couple of outdoor concerts we were able to do this summer have gone very well.”
In addition to its own concert series, the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra is invited to perform at many of the better known concert venues throughout Indiana and in other states. These facilities include the Warren Performing Arts Center in Indianapolis, the Paramount Theatre in Anderson, the Foellinger Theater in Fort Wayne, the Minnetrista Center in Muncie, and the Honeywell Performing Arts Center in Wabash.
The musicians of the jazz orchestra are in demand with a range of other professional ensembles including symphony orchestras, dance bands, jazz combos, pit orchestras for musical theater, brass quintets, and rock bands, according to promotional material. Many have performed all across the country and throughout the world with touring acts, on cruise ships, at theme parks, with military bands, and with top-ranked collegiate groups.
Most have also been members of back-up bands and orchestras for nationally known entertainers and for noted jazz artists. The group also boasts five commercially successful compact discs.
“While the weather is still nice, we’re glad we still can perform outdoors, where some people might feel a little more comfortable,” Anderson said. “We’re especially happy about that, because there still seems to be so little going on (musically).”
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What: The Columbus Indiana Philharmonic presenting the Indianapolis Jazz Orchestra, featuring pop, jazz, Broadway, and other tunes.
When: 6 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza, 536 Fifth St. in downtown Columbus.
Admission: Free.
Information: theip.org.
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