University Auditorium venue for Big Band Sounds of WWII

January 23, 2007

GAINESVILLE, FL –– The Big Band Sounds of WWII featuring the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra will appear at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 9, at University Auditorium.

The Big Band Sounds of WWII takes you back to an era when young men in the armed forces were a long way from home. All they yearned for was a chance to hear good music, dance with a pretty girl and think of home. The Big Band Sounds of WWII is like revisiting the USO canteens of yesteryear, bringing back the sprit, style and sound of the era’s greatest swing tunes.

Performed by the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra, a 30-piece ensemble, songs such as “We’ll Meet Again,” “As Time Goes By,” “Sentimental Journey,” “I’ll Be Seeing You” and “In the Mood” capture the nostalgic mood of a time gone by – but not forgotten.

Felten is a jazz crooner and trombonist that Jazziz magazine calls, “A talent on the rise.” Felten began studying the trombone at age 9 with his grandfather, Lester Felten Sr., a veteran of East Coast bands from the Swing Era. At age 24, Felten was named the best new jazz trombonist by the International Trombone Association. He released “T-Bop,” his first album, in 1993. “T-Bop,” which featured legendary trombonist Jimmy Knepper and Joshua Redman, earned four stars from Down Beat magazine.

Felten followed the success of “T-Bop” with “Gratitude,” a modern take on the classic recordings of Duke Ellington’s small groups in the 1930s. “Gratitude” earned Felten glowing reviews from JazzTimes and JAZZIZ, and the Washington Post called it, “One of the year’s genuine jazz treats.”

Tickets are available by calling the Phillips Center Box Office at (352) 392-2787 or by calling Ticketmaster at (904) 353-3309. Orders may be faxed to (352) 846-1562. Tickets are also available in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, University Box Office at the University of Florida Reitz Student Union and all Ticketmaster outlets; and on the Web at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Phillips Center Box Office is open from noon to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and two hours before performances.