Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Lake Country
December 04, 2017 - 1:36 PM
Lake Country, BC – Lake Country Big Band continues to perform for community events and fundraisers
The Lake Country Big Band was formed in 2000 under the leadership of Eddie Atherton. The band is a full traditional big band, including saxophones, trumpets, trombones, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. Two vocalists also perform with the band. Don MacKay took over directing the group in 2015. Most of the members live in Lake Country and surrounding communities. They’re dedicated musicians who love practicing and performing with the band.
Music is selected from hundreds of charts in the library. Think of the swinging, lively music of Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, and the Dorsey brothers, as well as the jazz greats, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Modern stage band music and arrangements of pop music round out most performances. Eddie wrote a number of charts for the band including the popular Blues to Go. The Atherton’s contribution to the music community in Lake Country will be missed with their move to Victoria at the beginning of December.
This concert marks the end of a long tradition of Atherton family participation. Eddie and Mary provided leadership to the band for 15 years after starting it to give their children and local musicians a chance to play in a jazz band. Mary continued to perform until November 2017. Several of their children joined over the years; Annie on sax, Zach on trumpet and Dominique, Fran, and Mark as vocalists on occasion.
“We’re happy to partner on hosting the Swingin’ Christmas fundraiser concert at the Creekside Theatre,” said Ryan Donn, Cultural Development Coordinator. “We’re able to support the Lake Country Big Band with promotion of this event organized as a fundraiser for the Lake Country Food Bank. It is great to support a generous group of talented local musicians giving back to the community.”
Lake Country Big Band has performed at numerous events in the community including Canada Day festivities, Art Walk, Christmas Light Up, and Remembrance Day Services. They have also appeared at various fund-raisers for schools, churches, and community groups. The annual, A Swingin’ Christmas, has become a Lake Country tradition. Through this performance, the band has raised thousands of dollars for the local food bank. This year’s concert is on Dec. 9th at 7:30 p.m. in the Creekside Theatre with admission by donation.
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