Stetson Jazz features the music of Sammy Nestico in this first concert of 2014.

On Wednesday, February 26 at 7:30 p.m., in the Stetson Room, Carlton Union Building, 131 E. Minnesota Ave., the 18-piece Stetson Jazz big band, under the direction of Don Waldrop, (pictured, right) will perform an all-Sammy Nestico concert in honor of his 90^th birthday.

Complimentary admission for Stetson faculty, students and staff with a valid Stetson ID.

Composer/arranger Nestico, world famous among musicians from middle schools to the top professional orchestras, has written over 630 compositions and arrangements and is known for his originality and audience appeal.

While clearly beloved in the educational music world, his fame built over his 15 years as chief arranger for the Count Basie Orchestra, arranger and leader of the Airmen of Note, and arranger and conductor of the White House orchestra under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Much of the Stetson concert will feature his arrangements for the many albums and CDs of the Basie band.

During his long career in the television and film industry, he has arranged and conducted projects for artists such as Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan, Toni Tennille, Frank Sinatra, Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand, and many others. As orchestrator, he has worked on 25 motion pictures and nearly seventy television programs, including Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Charlie’s Angels, Hawaii 5-0, The Mod Squad, and The Academy Awards.

This promises to be an exciting, dynamic and swinging concert of the best jazz Stetson University has to offer.

For general ticket information, contact: Stetson University School of Music, 386-822-8950, or Don Waldrop at [email protected] or 386-228-0451 or http://www.sammynesticomusic.com/

For a full calendar listing of other music concerts, visit the online upcoming events calendar on Stetson’s School of Music website.