By Craig Horleman

It will be a decidedly jazzy Sunday at the Milton Theatre. The Delmarva Big Band will present Duke Ellington’s “The Nutcracker Suite” at 7 p.m.

“The Nutcracker Suite” is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Mr. Ellington recorded for the Columbia label in 1960 featuring jazz interpretations of “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Mr. Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.

The 18-piece Delmarva Big Band returns to the Milton Theatre for the first time since the pandemic to perform the eight-movement piece along with other holiday favorites.

The band is comprised of musicians of all ages who hail from just north of the Milton area down to Salisbury, Maryland and over to the west to the Easton, Maryland area. They practice in Salisbury.

It can trace it roots all the way back to the Big Band era of the 1940s and ’50s.

“It was originally the Len Gray Orchestra, which used to be a band that was in the Mid-Atlantic here and toured around New Jersey and the Eastern Shore and everything,” explained Jim Miller, a trumpet player for the band, who resides in Bethel.

“And then his son took it over and called it the Lenny Grazier Orchestra. Lenny was pretty popular with his big band and also some small jazz ensembles here. And then he passed away in 2005. And that’s when I took it over just to keep it going and keep the other musicians involved.

Mr. Miller and Frank Mahoney, the band’s musical director, are the only two current members who were with the band during its rebirth in 2005. Mr. Miller dates his involvement with the band back to the late 1990s.

Mr. Miller said he thought it was important to keep the band going for many reasons.

“Big band is sort of a legacy genre now although there are still many functioning big bands across the United States. The military services all have a big band and an 18-piece big band with the same sort of instrumentation that we do, like all the ones that play at the bandstands every year,” Mr. Miller said.

“Some of the ones like the Air Force Airmen of Note or the Army Blues Band or the Navy Commodores, they’re the top service 18-piece big bands. So that’s America trying to keep that genre alive. And some of the old really legacy ones that have names you can still remember like the Glenn Miller Orchestra really still tour. Obviously the (original members) are all dead, but the book is still there, and they’re keeping the music alive. It’s an historic genre but I think most of these bands try to keep relevant by performing arrangements that anybody can relate to. In other words, they’re not all legacy. Big band music can be modern music or familiar music that is just reinstrumented for the big band format.”

Mr. Miller said he’s been a fan of the genre since he was a teenager.

“High school music programs often have a big band but they call it a jazz ensemble and it’s usually the same instrument format. And so you can perform in the symphony band or the concert band or you can perform in the jazz ensemble or all the above,” Mr. Miller said.

“I enjoyed that and actually started writing some arrangements for a high school big band and then when I got to college, I auditioned and made the university big band. I was the lead trumpet player at the University of Maryland for several years. It’s not the only thing I do musically, but I like to have it as part of my portfolio.”

Mr. Miller also plays with the popular local group, The Hot Sauce Band.

It’s the Delmarva Big Band’s first time back since the pandemic started.

“The pandemic really put the group into hibernation. There were some other musical acts that were able to continue going, but they’re smaller ensembles. The Hot Sauce Band was able to forge ahead through the pandemic, but you can’t with an 18-piece big band. And some of the guys are older and to get that many people together, it just wasn’t possible,” Mr. Miller said.

“And then it was hard to come out of the pandemic to get things going and start up again. So we had a little bit of a slow start. We do have a legacy where we have played all the bandstands in the area and whatnot. So that’s great and you’ve got to hand it to (Milton Theatre director) Fred Munzert. We just did his new place Revival in Salisbury last Sunday. He’s been good about booking us a couple times a year. So he’s been great for us.”

Mr. Miller said the band is made up of committed musicians.

“I think the people that are in the band right now really want to be in the band right now. And a lot of people that wanted to be in the band are sometimes just too busy. Or there are a lot of great musicians out there and sometimes it’s hard to make a continuing commitment. So the musical director kind of made a decision that rather than have somebody that can only play half the shows because they’re out playing somewhere else, or come to half the rehearsals, he wanted to find somebody that could be more consistent,” Mr. Miller said.

“So we have consistent players now that are there for every rehearsal and for all shows, which is good and it gives us a nice tight ensemble feeling.”

Mr. Miller said Sunday’s program should offer something new for the holiday season.

“It was a challenging composition that Mr. Ellington put together. And it was actually suggested to us by one of our fans. They had been to another part of the country and heard an ensemble do that as part of a holiday thing and they thought it might be something we should look into it. The best form of flattery I found is when fans come up to you and say, you know, what would be great in your repertoire is. And it’s like, ‘Oh, thank you.’ That means they are really into us and really would like to hear different stuff from us. That’s compliment. A fan suggested that we look into doing that. And we did and we got the music together. And we debuted it last Sunday. And we’re gonna do it even better this Sunday, “ Mr. Miller said.

Tickets for the show are $17 and can be obtained here, by calling 302-684-3038 or the box office at 110 Union St.

Rezac at Ice House

Also on Sunday, local musician Jim Rezac will present a Pre-Festivus Holiday Soiree concert at the Ice House Wellness & Community. Doors open at 3 p.m. with the music beginning around 4 p.m.

Mr. Rezac’s brother Joe will also join him for a few songs.

The concert is free but donations are suggested. The show will be BYOB.

The Ice House Wellness & Comminity is at 200 Southern Blvd., Wyoming.

For questions, call 302-732-7282.

Osbourne, Lewis in Dover

Looking ahead to next year, Bally’s Dover Casino Resort, formerly Dover Downs, has scheduled two concerts in the early part of year.

Jeffrey Osbourne will perform live at the casino’s Rollins Center March 11 at 9 p.m. Tickets range from $60 to $100.

Mr. Osbourne joined his brother Billy Osbourne in 1970 as drummer and shared vocals with the band Love Men LTD. By 1975, he was the lead vocalist for the band and was the lead on the band’s three No. 1 songs on the U.S R&B Chart and for the band’s three gold and platinum albums. After nearly 10 years with the band, Mr. Osbourne left to pursue a solo career. His solo career has since spanned over 36 years and earned him four Grammy nominations and five gold and platinum albums as well as many Top 40 hits including “Really Don’t Need No Light,” “You Should Be Mine (The Woo Woo Song),” “On the Wings of Love” and “Stay With Me Tonight.”

Country star Aaron Lewis is coming to Bally’s Dover Casino Resort to showcase his new set, “Frayed At Both Ends, The Acoustic Tour” April 22 at 9 p.m. Tickets range from $75 to $150.

Mr. Lewis grew up in Springfield, Vermont, listening to his grandparents’ country 8-tracks.

This background inspired him as the multi-platinum Staind founder to return to his roots for the No. 1 Billboard Country Album debut, “Town Line” and “Sinner.”

For tickets to both shows, visit here.

Court House Museum closed

Beginning on Dec. 31, the New Castle Court House Museum, located at 211 Delaware St. in New Castle, will be closed for the installation of a fire sprinkler system throughout the historic building. The project is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022.

All contractors considered for the project were required to have experience working with historic buildings, and design schemes were reviewed by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service.

New Castle residents and visitors may experience some minor inconveniences during the time that installation is taking place.

Prior to installing the sprinkler system, the museum’s contents will be made safe from damage, and staff will continue to work in alternative locations in the building while installation is taking place.

Built in 1732, the New Castle Court House is one of the oldest active courthouses in the United States and was Delaware’s first state capitol.

There in 1776, New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties declared their independence from Pennsylvania and England creating the Delaware State. During its nearly 300 years of history, this National Historic Landmark has played many pivotal roles in the political, social and commercial life of both New Castle and Delaware. Operated by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the museum is a partner site in the First State National Historical Park.

Now Showing

New in theaters this weekend is
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” and Bradley Cooper in the film noir remake “Nightmare Alley.”

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