I am incredibly excited to announce my first big band show!

Join us as we celebrate the life of John Coltrane right here in his home state of North Carolina! The night will feature the Joseph Herbst Big Band, which consists of KILLIN' musicians coming from New York, Michigan, Texas, and, of course, Asheville, as well as a local spoken word artist.

The use of a big band to share Coltrane’s music creates a medium that allows for us to paint a story of his life through music, extrapolating the complex yet beautiful emotions of his playing into a 17-piece ensemble.

Throughout the night, we will feature a spoken word artist presenting the words and writings of Coltrane, performed both in between big band pieces backed by Coltrane's music in its simplest form as well as interwoven into the fabric of the performance of the full ensemble.

Coltrane’s life and beliefs were intricately linked with his music. A celebration of Coltrane cannot be solely music – it must include all aspects of his life. Through this, Coltrane’s music is still timely today, speaking to the current political and racial state of our nation. This will not just be a historical celebration of Coltrane’s life, but also a reworking of his music and life in present time, making us look inwards and outwards in the way Coltrane would do if he were alive today.

We will perform three of John Coltrane’s most iconic compositions arranged for big band, and three originals inspired by Coltrane’s music, all written by yours truly (Joseph). These six tunes are all written in a light that captures the struggles, successes, and ultimate revelation throughout Coltrane’s all too short life.

Arrangements:
Lonnie’s Lament
Giant Steps
After the Rain

Compositions inspired by:
Like Sonny
Equinox
Pursuance

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased on the Facebook page or by sending me the money directly. My Venmo name is @Joseph-Herbst.

If you'd like to support this endeavor to ensure future big band shows, regardless of whether or not you can make it, you can also Venmo me. :)

Musicians:

Saxophones:
Markus Howell
Tom Wright
Jason Moore
Ben Colvin
Patrick Landis

Trumpets:
Walter André Cano
Kevin Young
Alex Bradley
Seth Carson

Trombones:
Altin Brennan Sencalar
Justice Mann
Eric Heveron-Smith
Chris Glassman

Rhythm Section:
Matt Dingledine (guitar)
William Bares (piano)
Will Beasley (bass)
Will Younts (drums)