Lew Del Gatto Quartet Performs Ellington, Gershwin, and the Great American Songbook at SFSC

AVON PARK, Fla. – Feb. 25, 2019 – South Florida State College (SFSC) welcomes The Lew Del Gatto Quintet featuring Dan Miller to present a swinging jazz concert on Friday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in the 250-seat SFSC University Center on the Highlands Campus located at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park.

“Music from the 1930s, 40s and 50s performed by top-notch professional jazz musicians will delight anyone that loves swing music,” said Cindy Garren, director of cultural programs at SFSC.

Lew Del Gatto, who is the artistic director of the Naples Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra, has been a dynamic figure in the New York music scene for over 40 years and Florida for 20 years. His versatility and comprehension of music as an art form has been the basis for his stellar career. Del Gatto has been involved with jingles, films, Broadway, television, and jazz. He was a saxophonist and arranger with the Saturday Night Live Band from 1975-1979 and from 1985-2005. Del Gatto played with the Les Elgart Band and Sal Salvador and he appeared with the world famous The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He played on such films as “My Blue Heaven,” “Naked Gun 2½,” “The Wiz,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Man on the Moon,” “The Original Blues Brothers,” and others.  

Del Gatto is on numerous recordings and has appeared with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Tony Bennett, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, John Lennon, Bette Midler, the Brecker Brothers, Quincy Jones, Harry Connick Jr., Buddy Guy, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Average White Band, Liza Minelli, Ringo Starr, Lou Rawls, Chaka Chan, Frieda Payne, Steve Winwood, Aerosmith, Madonna, Tina Turner, Steely Dan, Luther Vandross, Levon Helm, Carly Simon, and Mariah Carey. And the list goes on.          

Dan Miller grew up in the vibrant musical scene of Chicago during the 1980s. He attended the University of North Texas and moved to New York City in 1991. He has studied with Don Jacoby, Bobby Shew, John Haynie, Ed Treutel, Brad Goode, Nick Drozdoff, and Barry Harris. He spent 11 years as a member of the Harry Connick Jr. Orchestra, traveling the world and recording numerous albums and TV specials.

Miller has also toured internationally and recorded with Wynton Marsalis, Maynard Ferguson, Tom Jones and Woody Herman. He has performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Curtis Fuller, Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Frank Foster, Jon Hendricks, George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Tom Harrell, David “Fathead” Newman, and Jack McDuff. Other members of the quintet are drummer/vocalist Patricia Dean, Dop Mosick, and Richard Drexler.

The 2019 Jazz Series at SFSC is sponsored by Patricia McShane, Dr. and Mrs. Norman Stephens Jr., Lake Placid Health and Rehabilitation Center, Peter and Dale Caldwell, Rev. Lynne Josselyn and Larry Conrad, and Elaine Becker and Bill Shroder.

Upcoming jazz performances are Soul Train Best Jazz Vocalist award winner Nicole Henry on March 28 and Michigan’s Jazz Vocalist of the Year Edye Evans Hyde and Terry Lower on April 4. Performances begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $26 and groups of 12 of more can save 50 percent. Students with a current ID receive free admission to jazz performances. Student tickets are available at the box office one hour before the performance. The SFSC Box Office, which is located on the Highlands Campus in Avon Park at 600 West College Drive, is open Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tickets and videos of upcoming productions are available online at sfscARTS.org and telephone orders can be placed by calling 863-784-7178.