The Imagine Orchestra: A Musical Premiere in a Storied Place Hosted by WGBH Radio's Eric Jackson

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MAAH Music and JazzBoston are joining forces for the first time for this Jazz Week Kickoff Weekend special presentation. WGBH's popular jazz radio host Eric Jackson, of Eric in the Evening fame, introduces the new chamber jazz orchestra for their public debut performance. Founder, Dr. Bill Banfield -- chair of Berklee College of Music's Africana Studies, Music and Society Department -- also serves as conductor and composer. Jazz Week 2015, “Jazz in the Neighborhood,” showcases Roxbury’s musical heritage and the history of Boston's African American community.

The Imagine Orchestra is a chamber jazz ensemble featuring some of Boston's brightest musical talents coming together for an eclectic approach to composing and performing where the music is both fully orchestrated and improvised. "I hear the sound as Ellington meets Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, and Frank Zappa, and Miles Davis meets Gill Evans... in the groove and in the pocket," says Dr. Banfield. "It represents how creative artists come to collaborate and 'imagine' what the music whispers and inspires musicians to reach for."