Dixieland Jazz, humor come to MAC on March 20
PARK HILLS — For an evening of fun and music, come see, hear, and enjoy the RiverCity Ramblers at Mineral Area College Fine Arts Theatre, 7:30 p.m. on March 20.
Adult tickets are $5, student tickets are $2 and on sale at the MAC Bookstore and at the door. The performance is sponsored by Mineral Area Council on the Arts with financial assistance provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
The RiverCity Ramblers are all outstanding Dixieland performers but they do more than just perform well – they entertain with humorous tunes and antics, the best that St. Louis has to offer.
The group is full of all-stars, from their leader and trumpeter Bob Ceccarini to “Red” Lehr, a most amazing tuba player and clown. Pat Joyce is considered by many the best of his class in our area as is Joe Buerger on drums.
The repertoire includes some traditional jazz, seasonal favorites and songs that are favorites of their vocalist Charles Glen.
Audiences are captivated by the flamboyant flair of “Red” Lehr playing sousaphone as he builds to a frenzy with his world-renown “Tiger Rag.”
You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Pensacola’s favorite son, Pat Joyce, tickle those ivories. Top this all off with the sizzling trumpet stylings of band leader Bob Ceccarini, as he stirs your soul with sweet and sassy servings of such favorites as Louis Armstrong’s “Struttin’ with some Bar-B-Que.” Rounding out the group are Eric Sager, clarinet and the incomparable Joe Buerger on drums.
Just a few years back, Ceccarini fulfilled a dream to assemble a group of the finest traditional jazz musicians from the St. Louis riverfront. He selected five performers who were not only highly regarded by their fellow musicians but performers who as individuals had a following among jazz enthusiasts. His success is what you will hear from the RiverCity Ramblers. The group has made its second recording and has completed a one hour television special. Their second video was nominated for a regional Emmy Award.
Ceccarini has a rather diverse musical background. Since l968, he has been principal trumpet with the St. Louis Municipal Opera Orchestra.
This Dixieland group, the RiverCity Ramblers has been touring since l973, performing at many jazz festivals across the United States and for the St. Louis Chapter of Young Audiences, Inc. Bob has toured with the international company of “A Chorus Line” and with the Wayne Newton Show. He is presently musical contractor for the Fox Theatre Orchestra, The Municipal Opera Orchestra, and the St. Louis Repertory Theatre Orchestra. He has been a member of the Young Audiences St.
Louis Brass Quintet since l964 and has performed with the Saint Louis Symphony and the Saint Louis Symphony Pops on numerous occasions and for recordings. A versatile performer, Ceccarini has explored many facets of music from his classical training to jazz, Dixieland, and Broadway.
