February 25: South Carolina's Chamber Music Festival's Jazz Impro Workshop

Wednesday 25, 6:00 pm
FMU Performing Arts Center // FMU Recording Studio - free admission
Workshop: jazz impro 
Ricardo Ochoa, jazz violin (Venezuela)

February 16th: River City Dixieland Jazz Band to perform in Florence

St. John’s Epiphany Concert Series continues with a performance by the River City Dixieland Jazz Band on Sunday, February 16 at 6:00 p.m. A change in venue moves this concert to the church’s fellowship hall, which is located behind the main church building at the back of the property.  There is no charge for the concert, but donations are appreciated.  Light refreshments will be provided.  St. John’s is located at 252 S. Dargan Street in Florence.  Parking is available in the lot behind the church, as well as on Dargan Street.

Formed in Charleston in 1997, the River City Dixieland Jazz Band is a dedicated group of professional musicians who joined together to help preserve the presentation of traditional American jazz … New Orleans-style.  Historically, Charleston shares many cultural characteristics with its Louisiana counterpart, including jazz. The Holy City can also claim that special spirited sound of Dixieland that developed in the 1920s and is always a treat to hear.

In the style of Louis Armstrong and King Oliver, Dixieland Jazz appeals to all age groups. River City will present a toe-tapping, smile-inducing program that includes standards such as “Ain't She Sweet,” “Down By the Riverside,” “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and “Muskrat Ramble.”  Other crowd pleasers include the band’s rendition of Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly” and “Wonderful World,” and a few audience sing-alongs.  Their traditional closer, “When the Saints go Marching In,” is guaranteed to bring the audience to its feet.

The Epiphany Concert Series concludes on February 23 with a performance by the highly regarded University of South Carolina University Chorus, a 60-voice choir under the direction of Dr. Alicia Walker.  This concert also will be held in St. John’s fellowship hall.  A downloadable brochure is available at www.stjohnsflorence.org.

Get Ready for the 16th Annual Jazz! Carolina in downtown Hartsville

July 18th: Third Thursday in the New Renaissance Dining Courtyard in downtown Florence

June 14th: Jazz Night at the ATG featuring After Dark

Jazz Night at the Art Trail Gallery will offer a full night of entertainment with live jazz musicians along with food and drinks sponsored by Bean Groovy Sandwich Station. Drinks will include micro brewed beers and fine wines.  Don't miss the sensuous sounds of After Dark on June 14th!

Tickets can be purchased online at www.ezevent.com. Tickets are $20 for ages 21 and over and $12.50 for under 21.

Doors open at 6:30pm and the party starts at 7pm.

The Art Trail Gallery is located at 185 West Evans Street in downtown Florence.  

May 10th: Jazz Night at the Art Trail Gallery in downtown Florence

Don't miss the Art Trail Gallery's newest monthly event: Jazz Night. Enjoy a night of fun with live music, food, micro-brewed beer and wine in downtown Florence. Jazz Night is sponsored by Bean Groovy Sandwich Station.

In May, Jazz Night at the ATG will be May 10th.  The fun starts at 7pm.  

Click here for ticket info and purchasing.

The Art Trail Gallery is located at 185 West Evans Street in downtown Florence.

January 18th: Jazz Night at the ATG

Click here for ticket purchasing information.  

January 18th: Jazz Night at the ATG with the Jazz Messengers

Downtown Florence's Art Trail Gallery will be hosting the Florence Jazz Messengers on January 18th. The show begins at 7pm.  Come out and enjoy jazz in the Pee Dee's premier art gallery.

There are party and dinner ticket packages.  Click here for more ticket information.

This event is being sponsored by Bean Groovy and Da Massimo Ristorante Italiano to benefit  the Art Trail Gallery and Florence Downtown.

The Art Trail Gallery is located at 185 West Evans Street in downtown Florence.

January 15th: The Glenn Miller Orchestra at the FMU PAC

The world famous Glenn Miller Orchestra is the most popular and sought after big band in the world for both concert and swing dance engagements. With its unique jazz sound, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is considered to be one of the greatest bands of all time. The present Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and has been touring consistently since, playing an average of 300 live dates a year all around the world.

Don't miss the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center on January 15th at 7:30pm.  Tickets range from $33 to $43.  To purchase, call 843.661.4444.  

The Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center is located at 201 South Dargan Street in downtown Florence.  

Visit the Performing Arts Center's website at fmupac.org. 

The Pee Dee's got Jazz in October

The Pee Dee will host the Palmetto State's two most prominent jazz events during the month of October.  Hartsville's Jazz! Carolina and Cheraw's South Carolina Jazz Festival have both grown into 4-day events held across several locations.  During the month of October, you can experience jazz in many different settings and hear musicians from across the country.

Jazz! Carolina will take place October 4th-7th in Hartsville.  The 2012 event marks the 15th annual Jazz! Carolina held by Hartsville Downtown Development Association.  Several events are scheduled, including a jazz crawl, a performance by the Hartsville Chamber Ensemble and the legendary downtown block party.

For more info on each of Jazz! Carolina's events, click here.

Cheraw will be hosting the South Carolina Jazz Festival from October 18th to 21st.  This year marks the festival’s seventh year to celebrate jazz and the birthday of Cheraw native, Dizzy Gillespie.

There are activities planned during the weekend for all ages– the annual Dizzy Gillespie Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament, Be-bop parade, art, kids’ activities, a chalk competition, in-school performances, 5K Run/Walk by Faith Christian Academy, a Jazzy Breakfast with the Cheraw Rescue Squad, and a Jazz Luncheon hosted by the Southern African American Heritage Center. 

For more information about the South Carolina Jazz Festival, click here. 

To have your event, program or project promoting by Pee Dee Arts, email detailed event information (including an image or logo) to peedeearts@gmail.com.

October 4th: A Taste of Jazz to kickoff the 15th Annual Jazz! Carolina in Hartsville

A Taste of Jazz is the Black Tie optional, Red Carpet Reception and Kickoff for Jazz!Carolina 2012.  It includes a wine tasting, appetizers and dessert & live Jazz! Catering by "Saffron".

When & Where: 7:00-9:00pm | Drengalen House, Coker College


Hartsville’s own ‘After Dark’ will perform.


Tickets $25 per person.
Sponsored by: Hill & Jordan and Coldwell Banker Deborah Gandy & Associates

Tickets may be purchased by calling the HDDA office at 843-332-1600, or through the Hartsville Downtown Development Association website.

Get info on all Jazz! Carolina events, by clicking the link below:

October 4th-7th:  Jazz! Carolina in downtown Hartsville 

Jazz! Carolina's Jazz On The Big Stage is set for Saturday, October 6th

Get info on all Jazz! Carolina events, by clicking the link below:

October 4th-7th:  Jazz! Carolina in downtown Hartsville 

October 18th to 21st in Cheraw: The South Carolina Jazz Festival

Be-Bopping in Cheraw, SC at the South Carolina Jazz Festival

The 2012 South Carolina Jazz Festival weekend is a little more than a month away.  Committee members have been planning since January for the October 18-21 celebration in Cheraw.   This year marks the festival’s seventh year to celebrate jazz and the birthday of Cheraw native, Dizzy Gillespie.

There are activities planned during the weekend for all ages– the annual Dizzy Gillespie Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament, Be-bop parade, art, kids’ activities, a chalk competition, in-school performances, 5K Run/Walk by Faith Christian Academy, a Jazzy Breakfast with the Cheraw Rescue Squad, and a Jazz Luncheon hosted by the Southern African American Heritage Center.  Of course, jazz will abound at numerous venues- Centennial Park, restaurants, schools, Wesley United Methodist Church, Gillespie Homesite Park, and the Theatre on the Green.

 

A new addition is an evening concert on Thursday, October 18 featuring trumpet player Joe Gransden. Evening Jazz on the Town Green begins at 6:30pm.  Attendees should bring lawn chairs and enjoy some jazz under the stars at this free event.   Also new this year is Picnic at the Gillespie Home Site Park at Huger Street on Sunday at 12:30pm. A new piece of sculpture for the park will be revealed during the picnic.  Long Middle School students have created this Dizzy inspired piece with South Carolina metal artist, Bob Doster.

 

For the fifth year, the weekend celebration concludes on Sunday afternoon with a Jazz Mass sponsored by the Cheraw Ministerial Association. Wesley United Methodist Church hosts this year's mass at 3:00pm featuring local voices with a Community Jazz Choir. 

 

Students at Cheraw schools will enjoy some jazz with in-school performances on Thursday, October 18.  The Air Force Academy Falconaires Big Bandfrom Colorado Springs, Colorado will perform at Cheraw High and at Long Middle School, while area musician Rakim McQueen performs at Cheraw Primary and Intermediate Schools.  Performances at the Theatre on the Green are also planned for students throughout the week.

Jazz at the Theatre on the Green will feature the 2009 Grammy Nominated Best Jazz Vocalist Kate McGarry on Friday the 19^th.  Think Jazz Orchestra, a tour de force showcases the talents of eight of South Carolina's finest jazz musicians on Saturday evening at the Theatre.  Theatre seating is limited on both nights. Tickets for these evening concerts are available at the Cheraw Community Center-200 Powe Street prior to the weekend or can be purchased on www.scjazzfestival.com.  Remaining tickets will be sold at Market Hall during the festival.  Single Night tickets are $20 and weekend passes for both nights are $35. 

 

The 7^th annual SC Jazz Festival offers something for everyone, so Be-bop on down to Cheraw for lots of jazz and fun.  For a complete event line-up, visit www.scjazzfestival.com or call 843.537.8420for additional information.

The Blue Moon Jazz Gala is set for February 21st in Hartsville

The Blue Moon Jazz Gala will be held on February 21st at Hartsville's Lawton Park Pavilion.  The evening, which features live jazz, dinner and a silent auction, begins at 6pm.

Tickets are $25 for one or $40 for two. 

All proceeds to benefit the Pee Dee Branch of the Harvest Hope Food Bank.

For more information, call 843.661.0826.

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Pee Dee Arts was founded in the Summer of 2011 through a unique partnership between the Florence Regional Arts Alliance, the Florence Convention & Visitors Bureau and Pee Dee Tourism.  Pee Dee Arts’ primary focuses are to promote the arts and cultural activities of the Pee Dee Region and facilitate growth in the region’s arts organizations.  Pee Dee Arts is committed to inclusive and innovative service to the Pee Dee region, which it defines as the following counties: Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Lee, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg.

The 6th Annual SC Jazz Festival is set for October 14-16 in Cheraw

Dizzy Gillespie’s hometown, Cheraw SC, is gearing up for the sixth annual South Carolina Jazz Festival October 14-16.

Complete with a bebop parade, a 5K run, a birthday party, all-you-can-eat BBQ, an outdoor jazz mass plus Dizzy’s bent horn and jazz galore, the three-day event is the perfect time to celebrate the late jazz great, who would have been 94 on October 21. 

Over 35 jazz performances are scheduled throughout the weekend at local restaurants, downtown Centennial Park, and the Theatre on the Green.  While most events are free, Main Event concert tickets are $20 per person for a single concert or $35 per person for both concerts. The Friday evening concert features the Charlton Singleton Quartet and the Kat Williams Trio while the Noel Freidline Quintet headlines Saturday evening’s concert.

The Dizzy Gillespie Scholarship Golf Tournament kicks off the weekend celebration Friday at 9 am with a Hole In One 2011 Chevy Cruze Giveaway. Open to all golfers, funds from the Cheraw State Park event are donated to the Cheraw Rotary Club for the Dizzy Gillespie Student Scholarship Fund.

Other weekend activities include a Centennial Park performance of the U.S. Air Force Heritage of American Band Rhythm in Blue Jazz Ensemble, “Dizzy on Display” at the Southern African American Heritage Center, an Italian Madonnari chalk competition, Art & Fine Crafts Exhibition, children’s events on the Town Green, music and dialogue at the Gillespie family’s church home,  wine and beer tasting at the Wine Factory, and the Historic Cheraw Cell Phone Tour, which leads participants to over 25 points of interest, including the home site where Dizzy Gillespie once lived, the Gillespie family's home church, and the school young Dizzy attended.

Visit www.SCJazzFestival.com to download the festival’s schedule of events, purchase Main Event concert tickets, register for the Dizzy Gillespie Scholarship Golf Tournament, and get more details regarding area lodging and restaurants.  This project is supported by the S.C. Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.



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Pee Dee Arts is dedicated to promoting the Arts and cultural activities in the Pee Dee Region of Eastern South Carolina. To have your event, program or class promoted,

email Bruce Douglas at peedeearts@gmail.com.

This blogsite is our temporary eHome until our website is completed.