Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts

For the benefit of the Central Florida Jazz Society, Douglas Glicken has brought together some of the best jazz musicians and jazz vocalist in Florida and has created the concert "A Time for Jazz," an imaginative jazz journey of "time" in our music. This will be Doug's seventh Jazz concert production in Central Florida with the last show in May 2022 selling out.

"A Time for Jazz” features Greg Parnell (drums), Dan Jordan (saxophone), Greg Zabel (bass), Bob Thornton (piano) and Krissy Vavrek (vocals).

Leading this stellar group is Greg Parnell on drums. Having spent many years on the road with the Glenn Miller Orchestra as drummer and road manager, Greg is now the musical director of the Orlando Jazz Orchestra, as well as the President of the Glenn Miller Productions. Greg has performed with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Les Brown's Band of Renown, and Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He has also backed headliners such as The Mills Brothers, The Four Aces, Kay Starr, John Davidson, Eartha Kitt, Bowzer, Della Reese, Jack Jones, The Four Freshmen, Smokey Joe's Café, The Pied Pipers, Rita Moreno, Petula Clark and many others.

Dan Jordan is a nationally recognized jazz musician and a current member of the Dr. Phillips Jazz Orchestra. He plays tenor saxophone and flute with a unique style all of his own. He was a recording and touring member of Maynard Ferguson's orchestra, and has performed with a multitude of renowned artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Barry Manilow, The Four Tops, The Temptations and many more. He has performed on New York City Broadway, Late Night with David Letterman, and in countless other shows and productions. .

Greg Zabel, an Orlando native and graduate of UCF, first started playing piano at 8, took up guitar and trumpet at 11, and picked up the bass when he was a 16-year-old sophomore in the school's jazz band. Having toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and honing his craft, he is perhaps one of the most sought after bass accompanists in Central Florida. His influences span all types of musicians, from upright bassist Ray Brown, to electric bassists Jaco and Felix Pastorius, guitarist Wes Montgomery, banjoist Béla Fleck, pianist Chick Corea and others, which is evident in his stylistic interpretation of Jazz.

Bob Thornton is an incredibly talented jazz pianist in both solo and group formats. In 2001, Bob was selected as one of six national semifinalists in the American Jazz Piano Competition sponsored by the American Pianists Association. In 2002, he released a self-produced recording, "Looking Back, Looking Forward", consisting entirely of original compositions and arrangements with his working trio from Philadelphia. In addition to performing, Bob is a prolific composer and arranger of small group and large ensemble jazz. As if this does not keep him busy enough, Bob is also a professor in the music department at UCF.

Krissy Vavrek is one of Central Florida's best female vocalists. Having graduated from UCF where she learned to sing in six languages, she now brings that highly developed individual style and complex yet melodic interpretation of jazz standards to audiences who have grown to adore her. It's not difficult to see why: her singing is infused with a real sense of fun; bright, both light and breezy, whilst at the same time incredibly swinging and technically perfect.