The performance is set for Friday evening at White Brook Middle School in Easthampton.
Karrin AllysonIt’s the wall of sound behind her that singer Karrin Allyson finds so thrilling.
“The thrill of having so many players sound like one, that’s the goal,” said Allyson, a four-time Grammy Award nominee who will join The Amherst Jazz Orchestra in a performance Friday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. at White Brook Middle School.
The appeal of a big band is that it is a “nice change from the small-group thing,” she said. “I find a large, professional group of players with a beautiful wall of sound behind you is really thrilling.”
The event, which will also feature the Easthampton High School Band, is sponsored by the Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce, the Easthampton Cultural Council and Easthampton's Bear Fest 2012.
It is part of Allyson’s U.S. tour.
She has released 13 CDs on the Concord Jazz label during the past two decades. Her ‘‘Round Midnight’ was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, marking her fourth consecutive nomination in this major category. Her 1992 debut album was “I Didn’t Know About You.”
The performance in Easthampton is part of the Karrin Allyson and Friends series and Allyson’s first with The Amherst Jazz Orchestra.
A New York City resident, Allyson has a home in Western Massachusetts. She currently spends two days out of three on tour, playing the major jazz festivals, concert venues and clubs of the United States and making repeated tours to Brazil, Japan, Australia and the great cities of Europe.
“I’m always interested in supporting the arts,” she said. “And I’m always interested in connecting what we do with education.”
She said those who attend the Easthampton performance will find a “great array” of music and “a lot of energy.”
Allyson also will perform on Saturday, Sept. 15, as part of the Berkshire Gateway Jazz Weekend at the First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, with the Amherst Jazz Orchestra at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the Easthampton performance are $15 and are available at www.brownpapertickets.com.
Information about Allyson and her music is online at www.karrin.com.
For more information, contact Burns Maxey, Easthampton City Arts coordinator, at (413) 527-8278 or info@easthamptoncityarts.com.
Easthampton City Arts, formed in 2005, is working to enhance the collaborative efforts of the artist and business communities to increase economic opportunities for artists. Its efforts are geared toward enhancing the opportunities of local artists to showcase and market their work and to provide the public the opportunity to discover emerging and established artists. It merged with the Easthampton Cultural Council and Art Walk Easthampton to form ECA+ in 2011.