GSO Jazz!, a part of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra organization, will perform a tribute to Quincy Jones and Sammy Nestico at Marietta’s Strand Theater on April 2.

Details including ticket information are in the press release reprinted below:

(Marietta, Ga., March 16, 2022)  Marietta-based GSO Jazz! pays tribute to legendary composers/arrangers Quincy Jones and the late Sammy Nestico with a performance on April 2, 2022, at the historic Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theater.

The concert will feature vintage jazz inspired by the duo’s famed Basie and Beyond album. Musical selections include You Gotta Try Harder, Joy of Cookin’ and How Sweet It Is, written by Nestico, and Belly Roll, Quintessence and Witching Hour composed by Jones, to name a few.

“These are two of the greatest musical talents in America, not just in the jazz genre” said GSO Jazz! Music Director Sam Skelton. “Unfortunately, Sammy passed away in January 2021 at the age of 96,” he said. Skelton noted the pair also wrote music for the renowned Count Basie and His Orchestra and feels his style of jazz permeates the album’s melodies.

GSO Jazz! is part of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra organization. Following recently updated COVID-19 guidelines published by the Centers for Disease Control and the Cobb/Douglas Public Health District Office, the GSO has revised its health and safety protocols for its patrons. As of March 14, 2022, masks are recommended, but not required, and vaccination status will not be checked for individuals who attend any remaining 2021-2022 season performances.

Concert ticket prices are $35 for adults, $32 for seniors, military or first responders and $12 for students, and may be purchased online at georgiasymphony.org/all-events.  

The Georgia Symphony Orchestra began in 1951 with the formation of the Marietta Music Club.

According to the GSO website:

The music room of Arthur F. Moor’s home on 383 Church Street in Marietta would establish the foundations for what would evolve over the next sixty-plus years. Talented local musicians would come together to create and share wonderful music with audiences. From 1955 until 1989, Betty Shipman Bennett conducted the orchestra through this long period of development. The music club grew to become the Marietta Community Symphony.

The orchestra was later renamed the Cobb Symphony as more professional musicians were added to the staff, and in 2011 it became the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.

The GSO states as its mission:

The mission of the Georgia Symphony Orchestra is to enrich our community through accessible, high quality musical and educational experiences that instill a lifelong appreciation for the arts.