The 19-piece Compaq Big Band has the PERFECT way to celebrate the 2023 Independence Day long weekend – join us when we perform at the spectacular annual Marblehead Festival of Arts (MFoA) in the ridiculously charming seaside village of Marblehead, Massachusetts, on Monday July 3rd. This will be a FREE, public outdoor concert at beautiful Crocker Park, overlooking Marblehead Harbor. Our program runs 8:00pm to 10:30pm. Weather permitting only. Crocker Park is located at 11 Front Street. Come early to secure your spot, and to enjoy the 6:00pm performance by ‘CrockerCabana’, featuring Holly Cameron, Matthew Arnold, and Matt Savage. Bring a low back lawn chair - plenty of space for blankets, too. There is no parking on site – please park around town, in a legal space. MFoA is truly unique, with all sorts of art exhibits and activities – full list of venues and what’s on tap at www.marbleheadfestival.org. We’re just one of *SIXTEEN* performing artists spanning many genres that are scheduled on the Crocker Park stage from July 1st – 4 th - check out the entire lineup at www.marbleheadfestival.org/performingarts. The band’s special guest vocalist that evening will be rising jazz star Anaïs Reno from New York City. She’s been singing the Great American Songbook since ago 8, and graduated in the spring of 2021 from famed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts studying drama. Anaïs now attends SUNY Purchase, studying jazz voice with Alexis Cole and opera with Sherry Overholt, as an Ella Fitzgerald scholar. She has performed on prestigious New York City stages such as Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, The Django, Dizzy’s, Feinstein's 54 Below, and more, as well as jazz clubs in Philadelphia and London. Her debut album, celebrating the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, titled “Lovesome Thing: Anaïs Reno sings Ellington & Strayhorn with the Emmet Cohen trio”, was released in 2020 and received international critical acclaim, as well as climbing to #6 on the jazz chart after performing in the Top 10 for four consecutive weeks. On July 3rd Anaïs will be performing selections from jazz vocal greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Natalie Cole, Dianne Schuur, Tierney Sutton and more. We will also be hittin’ the audience with some of our best concert instrumental arrangements, too. Think Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Gordon Goodwin, and Chris Walden, plus a few surprises you won’t see coming from a big band – with some great patriotic charts sprinkled in, too. Marblehead is simply beautiful, with many area streets reminiscent of old villages in Europe or the United Kingdom. And, there are many quaint shops and art galleries to browse through. There are some great restaurant choices nearby, too - but…. it’s the biggest night of the year for Marblehead, so consider Googling the available dining establishments within walking distance of Crocker Park, and making reservations *NOW* at one that allows them. Or, bring a picnic dinner to the park (no alcohol, please)! Check out www.compaqbigband.com and www.anaisreno.com. ‘Like’ the band, ‘Anaïs Reno (musician)’, and ‘Marblehead Festival of Arts’ on Facebook.
