Thursday Night Music Club tunes up for 17th annual Jazz Showcase at Ruby Diamond

Thursday Night Music Club, a popular local “big band,” will perform its 17th annual Jazz Showcase in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14. Tickets are $17.

The program will include music made famous by Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Thad Jones, Nat King Cole, and Antonio Carlos Jobim; “big band” arrangements of a Broadway hit and of a Disney classic; plus a pulsating, body-moving sample of early ‘60s Soul music. Yes, you read all of that correctly. This group is as ambitious as it is versatile.

The ticket price purchases, not only a wide-ranging variety of music, but an impressive array of talent. Led by FSU music professor Patrick Dunnigan, and featuring superb vocalists Lisa Foltz and Fred Lee, TNMC’s full sections of saxophones, trombones, trumpets, keyboard artists (two of them!), guitars, and percussionists (two again—TNMC is a BIG “big band”) include a wealth of overachieving soloists.

TNMC first formed approximately 19 years ago when amateur trombonist Trisha Moynihan hosted acquaintances interested in reading “big band” charts in her living room — instruments and all. Over time, TNMC began performing at LeMoyne’s Art in the Park events, food truck nights at Lake Ella, Tallahassee Museum’s Jazz and Blues Festivals, and other local venues.

From an early point following its inception, however, the band’s signature performance has been its annual Jazz Showcase. There is no hard and fast rule that governs when an annual event can claim to be a tradition, but TNMC’s seventeen Jazz Showcases surely vie for that status. This is particularly true given the concert’s popularity.

TNMC’s Jazz Showcase outgrew the capacity of FSU’s 435 seat Opperman Music Hall after the first nine concerts, and now members of the ensemble’s enthusiastic following frequently contact band members to inquire about the date of the next Jazz Showcase before it is announced. Changes to TNMC’s personnel have occurred over time, but the passion for making music together has remained a constant.

Many band members call the Thursday night practice sessions their favorite part of the week. Band members’ dedication has nothing to do with money: Most of the proceeds from ticket sales are applied to the cost of renting the venue and purchasing music and band gear.

What, then, attracts musicians to the group? David Kraus, who holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in trombone performance from Penn State, retired to Tallahassee following a 20-year career with the U.S. Navy’s Music Program. He has been in TNMC’s trombone section for five years. He finds the group’s approach to be “collegial in the best sense —highly talented musicians of diverse backgrounds working smoothly together toward a common goal.”

Pat McLeod, a band member for nearly 10 years whose big baritone saxophone will be heard anchoring chords throughout the upcoming concert, offered similar sentiments. McLeod’s “day job” is serving as Sergeant with the Leon County Sheriff’s Warrant Office; he also heads the Sheriff’s Tactical Dive Team. However, music has always been a big part of his life; in fact, he attended college on a music scholarship.

McLeod Pat says the Thursday night sessions are his tonic for work-related stress. He enjoys the challenge of rehearsing with the group’s talented players because, “As they say, iron sharpens iron.”

While players may express the idea differently, it is clear that TNMC band members practice and perform for the sheer enjoyment of the experience.

Tickets to the Jazz Showcase are available on line at thursdaynightmusicclub.org or at the door.

If you go

What: Thursday Night Music Club 17th annual Jazz Showcase

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14

Where: Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

Tickets: $17; visit thursdaynightmusic.club

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Thursday Night Music Club puts on the glitz for Jazz Showcase