Settle in for a night of jazz at Grafton High
Grafton High School will once again host the annual Jazz Night Concert on Monday, March 16 at 7 p.m.
The music boosters will be selling tickets at the door for $5 each with a family cap of $15.
This year’s concert will feature Dan Gabel and the Abletones for a night of great listening, dancing and light refreshments in the Grafton High School Commons. The GHS Jazz Workshop, Chamber Choir and Jazz Ensemble are also scheduled to perform.
Hailed by the Boston Globe as “the real deal, [a band] that looks and sounds like the 1940s.” The Abletones Big Band was founded in 2003 by Dan Gabel, a premier trombonist, arranger, bandleader, historian, and educator in New England. Since 2010, this authentic 18-piece Big Band has been heard throughout the Northeast at dances, vintage events, weddings, fundraisers, summer concerts, USO Shows, veterans events, and on several recordings.
Dan Gabel and The Abletones is dedicated to (re)creating the sights and sounds of the big band era. The group wears matching tuxedos, uses vintage mutes and stands, employs period performance practice including vibrato and dance rhythms, and has a library of over 4,000 arrangements. At each performance, the group dedicates a number to our veterans, and honors the rich heritage of this unique American musical art form. Focusing on the sound of the 1930s and 40s, music by Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Chick Webb, Count Basie, Gene Krupa, and many others are heard. The group also specializes in lesser-known bands and songs, offering as one fan said: “something for dancers, casual listeners, jazz fans and experts alike…an experience that transports you back to 1942.”
Some of the band’s recent engagements include: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s Inaugural Ball, Gov. Deval Patrick, Scullers Jazz Club, Mechanics Hall, Museum of American Armor (Long Island), Veterans Inc, Tall Ships/Newburyport Maritime Museum, Star Island (NH), many non-profit organizations, civic groups, businesses, retirement communities, weddings, ballrooms, and swing dances everywhere.
Bandleader Dan Gabel has toured internationally with the Glenn Miller Orchestra for over a year, as well as with the Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway, and Hal McIntyre Orchestras. He recently has been featured twice at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Newport Mansions “Art Deco Festival,” and others. Gabel leads several other groups, works as a freelance musician, and can often be found in the pit orchestra of several regional theaters. He serves as the President and CEO of the American Big Band Preservation Society, and is the Music Department Director at Holy Name High School (his alma mater) in Worcester. He also directs the jazz program at Worcester Youth Orchestras, Inc. Gabel also holds two bachelor’s degrees from UMass Amherst, and a Masters in Music from New England Conservatory.
