Joe Gransden's Big Band caps off TEF Family Series

Apr. 8—THOMASVILLE — Thomasville Entertainment Foundation's series of free family programming caps off Saturday with an outdoor concert by noted Georgia trumpeter, band leader and vocalist Joe Gransden and his 16-piece big band.

Presented under the oaks at the Thomasville Center for the Arts, concert time is 5:30 p.m., and TEF officials are inviting the community to bring their lawn chairs, perhaps pack a picnic basket and enjoy a casual, family friendly concert featuring the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and more, performed by one of the busiest groups on the jazz scene.

"Joe Gransden and his band perform all over the country and around the world, including sold-out engagements at New York City's world-famous Blue Note Jazz Club, and his music and style have been heralded by the likes of Smokey Robinson and Clint Eastwood," said TEF Executive & Artistic Director Rick Ivey. "We think his big band will be a big hit — and a lot of fun — on a spring afternoon, and the weather forecast looks absolutely gorgeous for an outdoor concert."

Smokey Robinson says, "Joe has an innate ability to connect with an audience. His singing and trumpet playing are world class. Throw in his 16-piece big band and you have something very special!"

Coming from a family of musicians, Gransden's introduction to music came early on through his father, a gifted singer and pianist. His grandfather was a trumpeter of merit, playing professionally his whole life throughout New York. On his mother's side of the family was the piano virtuoso Carmen Cavallero.

Not long after high school, Gransden was on the road as a sideman with the big bands of Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller. A number of sideman gigs included Barry White, The Moody Blues, Kenny Rogers, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin and The Whispers, among others. Eventually moving to New York City, he performed with numerous groups, including sub work with Toshiko Akiyoshi and Chico O'Farrill at the famous Birdland Jazz Club.

At 42 years old and now based in Georgia, Gransden has released 14 CDs under his own name. Renowned first for the hard bop approach of his trumpet, his singing voice has been compared to that of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra.

"We can't wait to share this dynamic performance with our community, and like all TEF Family Series events, this concert is free and open to the public," Ivey said, made possible by generous grants and gifts honoring TEF's longtime artistic leader Janice Faircloth by the Parker Poe Charitable Trust, Emily and Bill Searcy Charitable Trust, Dr. & Mrs. Douglas C. McPherson, Diane Williams Parker and other friends of TEF.