John DePaola and Friends Bring in the Space Coast Jazz Society 2020 Concert Series on Jan. 12

Trumpeter John DePaola launches the new year for the Space Coast Jazz Society

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA –  Trumpeter John DePaola launches the new year of the Space Coast Jazz Society (SCJS) Sunday concerts with a not-to-be-missed performance entitled “A Tribute to Trumpet Legends from Swing to Bebop and Beyond” on January 12 at 2 p.m., doors open at 1 p.m.

Joining DePaola on stage will be musical “Friends” Danny Jordon on flute and saxophone, Charlie Silva on bass, Mark McKee on piano and Walt Hubbard on drums.

DePaola started playing trumpet at age 10 when his dad bought him his first instrument at a Pittsburg flea market. He quickly learned the musical scale and says now, “It was pretty easy to play. I went from there.”

He was a natural, no doubt. As soon as he could drive, DePaola joined a band and started playing weddings, launching a forty-year professional career that brought him to jazz festivals and venues all over the US and abroad.

DePaola’s style radiates warmth and is complemented by his ability to create melodic solos. According to one of his clients, “John provides a superb musical experience that is varied and tailored to his audience. He loves what he does and this shows through in his enthusiasm and joy in performing.”

Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Marvin Hamlisch, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Peobo Bryson, Ray Charles, The Moody Blues and The Temptations are among the many vocalists and groups with whom he has played.

And, as part of Broadway touring companies, his talent contributed to the musical success of plays like West Side Story, Hello Dolly, A Chorus Line, Chicago and 42nd Street.

Locally, John performs with several symphony orchestras, including The Dr. Phillips Center Jazz Orchestra; he works at Disney venues and is known for several retrospective shows on legends such as Cannonball Adderley, Jerry Mulligan, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Byrd.

The musicians who will join him on stage also have impressive credentials. Sax player and flutist Danny Jordan is also a producer and educator.

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He has toured with Maynard Ferguson, Natalie Cole and Arturo Sandoval, performed in two Broadway shows and accompanied Mel Torme, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Jr. and many other vocalists and jazz greats.

DePaola’s bass player for the event, Charles Silva, has a long career that includes decades working with the Disney Company, performing on cruise ships and with headliners such as Rosemary Clooney, Rita Moreno, Buddy Tate, Mel Lewis and others.

Freelance pianist Mark McKee has performed with big bands such as Les Brown’s, The Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey Bands and The Orlando Jazz Orchestra as well as individual jazz legends like James Moody and Maynard Ferguson.

Filling out the group is drummer and percussionist Walt Hubbard, a veteran of the South Florida jazz community, and now active in the Central Florida jazz scene, performing with local and nationally recognized artists.

So, start off the New Year right and resolve to have more fun and more jazz in your life. Enjoy the warm and melodic sounds of John DePaola and Friends at the lovely Rockledge Country Club venue.

Space Coast Jazz Society concerts are open to the public. General admission can be paid at the door or purchased online HERE $10 for Jazz Society and the Rockledge Country Club members, $15 for non-members.

Students under the age of 25 enter free with ID. Food and beverages are also available for purchase.

The Rockledge Country Club is located at 1591 S. Fiske Blvd., Rockledge, FL 32955. For more information, call Bobbie (321) 960-4897 or email Jazz@SpaceCoastJazzSociety.org. You can also join this unique and fun organization at the concert or through the website.

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