Sacred Music by Duke Ellington

Earshot Jazz and KBCS Present a Concert of Duke Ellington's Sacred Music.
The holiday concert of  "Sacred Music by Duke Ellington," featuring the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra will be presented at 7:30 pm on Saturday, Dec. 27 in the First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, 1717 Bellevue Way NE.
This very special event features the all-star Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra with guest vocalist Dee Daniels, the 30-voice Northwest Chamber Choir, and tap dancer Alex Dugdale.
Earshot Jazz has presented this ecumenical concert for the past 20 years. It is the world's longest running presentation of the sacred pieces by Ellington, which he considered among his most important works. The concert features blues, gospel and jazz pieces drawn from Ellington's three "Sacred Concerts" (from 1965, 1968, and 1973) including "Come Sunday," "In the Beginning," "Don't Get Down on Your Knees," "David Danced Before the Lord," "Praise God and Dance," "Ninety-Nine Percent" and more.
The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra is directed by Ellington scholar Michael Brockman, professor of saxophone at the University of Washington, and Clarence Acox, drummer and award-winning band director at Seattle's Garfield High School.
Some of Seattle's favorite jazz artists are to be featured, including saxophonist Hadley Caliman, trumpeters Jay Thomas and Thomas Marriott, pianist Randy Halberstadt, bassist Phil Sparks and many more.
The SRJO's double-album "Sacred Music of Duke Ellington" continues to be widely praised by the national media, including recognition as one of the "Best Recordings of 2006" by audiophileaudition.com.
Duke Ellington is one of the great composers in American history. His engaging "Sacred Music," both serious and swinging, premiered at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in 1965 and was performed in programs around the world until his death in 1974.
Embracing jazz heritage and diverse faiths, the concert celebrates Ellington's position that "Every man prays in his own language. There is no language God does not understand."
Tickets for the concert are $28 preferred seating section, $24 general admission. Discounts available for Earshot members, senior citizens and students. Tickets are available at Earshot Jazz 206-547-6763 and Brown Paper Tickets at brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006.
 Earshot Jazz is a non-profit, jazz-support and presentation organization. In addition to concert presentations, which includes Seattle's premiere annual jazz festival, Earshot provides jazz education programs and publishes the monthly Earshot Jazz magazine. More information is available at www.earshot.org.