If you close your eyes while Jon Seiger is singing, you’d swear it was Satchmo!
When he blows his trumpet you could say the same.
He ably recreates Louis Armstrong’s gritty vocals. He also hits the high notes on the horn.
Recently recovered from a near fatal attack of diverticulitis, Western New York jazzman Jon Seiger will perform a concert of New Orleans-style jazz from 3 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18, at Le Moyne Manor, 629 Old Liverpool Road. Sunday’s show is presented by the Jazz Appreciation Society of Syracuse (JASS).
Swingin’ hard
Seiger, who is legally deaf, nevertheless plays trumpet, cornet and piano. He has often performed in Argentina and Canada, and has also appeared all across Europe and in Jamaica.
His band, the All-Stars, features trombonist Floyd Hughes, saxophonist-clarinetist George Pierce, pianist Bobby DiBaudo, bassist Lynn Eberhardt and drummer Chuck Morey.
Kristen Shiner, daughter of the late co-founder of the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, Ray Shiner, often plays drums with the All-Stars, but won’t be on this date.
Besides paying homage to Armstrong, Seiger’s combo also performs hard swinging classics by big-band artists such as Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.
‘West End Blues’
Among the tunes Seiger will sing here are “Up a Lazy River,” “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It,” “West End Blues” “Undecided” and “Minnie the Moocher.”
In-between songs, the band tells anecdotes and personal recollections of Louis and other jazz greats, so the performances are fun, humorous and educational. One recent audience member said it best: “It was like taking a time machine back and hearing Louis’ band live!”
Jeff Spevak, a writer for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, put it this way:
“It’s interesting enough that Seiger is a white guy who sings in a traditional black jazz style; it’s astonishing that he’s also a deaf man making a living in the world of sound.”
Band and buffet
An alumnus of the Eastman Conservatory of Music, Jon Seiger is a unique performer in many ways. He is one of a few younger jazz musicians who specialize in the older styles of jazz, and has played with many jazz greats including Maynard Ferguson, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy McPartland and Gap Mangione.
“But we love preserving the legacy of Louis,” Seiger said.
Admission for Sunday’s concert costs $12, or $10 for JASS members.
Le Moyne Manor will serve a buffet for an additional $13 per person. Buffet reservations are due by Nov. 15.
For information and buffet reservations, call JASS President Bobby Morris at 652-0547, or Vice President Burt Dunlap at 469-7034.
The Jazz Appreciation Society of Syracuse is a non-profit organization formed in 1971 and dedicated to the preservation of traditional jazz.
