2026 Battle of the Bands Program Notes

TOM ROGERS AND SALLY ANDERSON WITH THE BARCLAY PRESENT

BATTLE OF THE BANDS

THE BARCLAY JAZZ & BEYOND ORCHESTRA SHELLY BERG - THE TOM AND MAYUMI ADAMS MUSIC DIRECTOR

FEATURING THE STELLAR SOLOISTS OF THE BAND

SEP 16, 2026

2026-27 SEASON

2026 EVENTS SEPREMBER

THE MĀKAHA SONS

BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL DANCE ME - MUSIC BY LEONARD COHEN THU SEP 24, 2026 AT 8PM THE MĀKAHA SONS Fri Sep 25, 2026 at 8pm THE BAD PLUS FAREWELL TOUR Sat Sep 26, 2026 at 8pm

LE PATIN LIBRE: MELT

BEHIND THE LINES: A 9/11 STORY Sun Sep 27, 2026 at 5pm

OCTOBER SNARKY PUPPY Sun Oct 4, 2026 at 7pm LE PATIN LIBRE: MELT Sun Oct 11, 2026 at 5pm YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

SIMPLE TOO: AN EVENING WITH YOTAM OTTOLENGHI Wed Oct 14, 2026 at 8pm SHANGHAI BALLET: THE BUTTERFLY LOVERS FRI OCT 16, 2026 AT 8PM BEGUM PARWEEN SULTANA FRI OCT 23, 2026 AT 8PM SHANGHAI BALLET

CAT KID COMIC CLUB: THE MUSICAL SAT OCT 24, 2026 AT 1PM & 5PM CELLOGAYAGEUM SUN OCT 25, 2026 AT 5PM

NOVEMBER CELLOGAYAGEUM

ARTIST NAME ARTIST NAME

NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE SCREENING: HAMLET SUN NOV 1, 2026 AT 3PM

IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE

TOM ROGERS AND SALLY ANDERSON WITH IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE PRESENT

BATTLE OF THE BANDS THE BARCLAY JAZZ & BEYOND ORCHESTRA SHELLY BERG - THE TOM AND MAYUMI ADAMS MUSIC DIRECTOR

FEATURING THE STELLAR SOLOISTS OF THE BAND

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026 AT 8PM Media Sponsor

This performance will include a 15-minute intermission.

Shelly Berg: Music Director/Piano

ARTIST NAME

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THE BARCLAY JAZZ & BEYOND ORCHESTRA SHELLY BERG: MUSIC DIRECTOR/PIANO

SAXOPHONES Sal Lozano Michael Czają Alex Johnson Frank Fontaine Tim McKay

TRUMPETS Ryan DeWeese Landon Grigsby Harry Ostrander Sarah Bauza

TROMBONES Alex Iles Joey Sellers Charlie Morillas Tiffany Johns

RHYTHM SECTION Adam Alessi: Drums Nick Schaadt: Bass Will Brahm: Guitar Danny Taylor: Percussion

PROGRAM SET ONE The Big Bands: Arranged by Shelly Berg Groovin’ Hard: Composed by and Arranged by Don Menza West Side Story Medley: Composed by Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim Arranged by Bill Reddie Featuring: Adam Alessi – drums; Alex Iles – trombone; Frank Fontaine – tenor sax After You’ve Gone: Composed by Turner Layton and Henry Creamer Arranged by Bill Holman Featuring: Sal Lozano – clarinet; Harry Ostrander – trumpet; Will Brahm guitar Four Brothers: Composed and Arranged by Jimmy Guiffre Featuring the saxophone section La Fiesta: Composed by Chick Corea Arranged by Tony Klatka Featuring: Shelly Berg – piano; Alex Johnson – tenor sax First Act Winning Song TBD

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SET TWO Blues in Hoss Flat: Composed and Arranged by Frank Foster Featuring: Ryan DeWeese – trumpet; Joey Sellers - trombone Shiny Stockings: Composed and Arranged by Frank Foster Featuring: Sarah Bauza - trumpet Basie: Composed and Arranged by Ernie Wilkins Featuring: Frank Fontaine – tenor sax; Alex Johnson – tenor sax Take the ‘A’ Train: Composed by Billy Strayhorn Arranged by Duke Ellington Featuring: Harry Ostrander – trumpet; Tim McKay – baritone sax Mood Indigo: Composed by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard Arranged by Duke Ellington Featuring Sal Lozano - clarinet Braggin’ in Brass: Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, and Henry Nemo Arranged by Duke Ellington Featuring the brass section Second Act Winning Song TBD Overall Winning Song TBD

PROGRAM NOTES Battle of the Bands is a showcase for the amazing musicians of The Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra, directed by Shelly Berg. Tonight, our band will inhabit the personalities and music of four iconic big bands: Buddy Rich, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. You, the audience, will vote for the winning band in each half and the overall winner!

Big band battles go back at least to the 1930s, with legendary head-tohead competitions featuring the bands we salute tonight, along with Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and others. During that time, the Savoy Ballroom in New York City had two bandstands to accommodate these competitions, which were broadcast nationally on radio. Carnegie Hall hosted the 1939 battle between Goodman and Miller, which remains one of the most famous jazz concerts of all time.

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Act One kicks off with “The Big Bands,” a medley arranged by Shelly Berg of songs from prominent big bands from the 1920s through the 1970s.

The “Battle” begins as our band takes on the persona of the Buddy Rich Band. Rich was perhaps the greatest drum virtuoso of his era, and his fiery band showcased exciting young soloists along with his own explosive drumming. “Groovin’ Hard” was composed and arranged by tenor saxophonist Don Menza, who contributed fantastic solos and compositions throughout his tenure with the band. This piece swings hard, as the title indicates.

Next up is a complex medley from the musical West Side Story, arranged by Bill Reddie, including the songs “Prologue,” “Cool,” “Somewhere,” and “Something’s Coming.” Adam Alessi channels Buddy Rich in the extended drum solo, and Alex Iles interprets the beautiful trombone solo on “Somewhere.”

Now the band morphs into the style of the Woody Herman Orchestra.

Herman was a clarinetist and saxophonist who led a series of great bands, known as his “herds,” for almost 50 years. Tonight, you’ll hear music from the First and Second Herds and the subsequent “Thundering Herd.” First up is the jazz standard “After You’ve Gone,” reimagined as a thrilling up-tempo swing number, arranged by Bill Holman, one of the most innovative arrangers in jazz history. Our lead alto player, Sal Lozano, does the honors with Woody’s clarinet solo.

Next is a true Herman classic, “Four Brothers,” from the great Second Herd. This band and this song featured a slugger’s row of saxophonists, including Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Serge Chaloff. The Barclay’s own slugger saxophone section will go toe to toe on this one.

As the Herman band evolved into the 1970s, Woody stocked the roster with great young players graduating from top university jazz programs.

These young bandmates brought rock and contemporary jazz into the repertoire, including the next selection, Chick Corea’s “La Fiesta,” arranged by trumpeter Tony Klatka and featuring our musical director, Shelly Berg. Tonight, you’ll hear an interesting story about this one!

Next, it will be time for you to vote for your favorite among our two initial contenders, and we will close Act One with a powerful selection by the winning band.

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Act Two celebrates jazz royalty, a Count and a Duke! We start with William “Count” Basie.

The Count Basie Orchestra has its roots in Kansas City blues and “riff” tunes that began as group improvisations by the sections of the ensemble. Basie’s signature spare piano style, along with the band’s spectacular cohesion and dynamic effects, earned a prominent place in the lexicon of jazz.

Tenor saxophonist Frank Foster was a great soloist and arranger for the band and led the group for a period of time following Basie’s death.

We’ll start our Basie set with Foster’s very recognizable “Blues in Hoss Flat,” which was heard in a hilarious scene in the Jerry Lewis movie The Errand Boy. On this one, you’ll hear solos by our lead trumpeter, Ryan DeWeese, and trombonist Joey Sellers.

Next is another Frank Foster and Basie classic, “Shiny Stockings,” a showcase for Basie-style phrasing and dynamics and the trumpet playing of Sarah Bauza.

The Basie set concludes with an exciting number featuring the entire band, composed by the great Ernie Wilkins and appropriately entitled “Basie.” This song includes another kind of battle that Basie’s band ushered in: the tenor sax battle, this time between Barclay bandmates Frank Fontaine and Alex Johnson. You might not be able to stay in your seats when this battle heats up!

Our final band tonight is Edward “Duke” Ellington and His Orchestra.

Like Woody Herman, Ellington also led his band for 50 years, beginning in the 1920s in clubs of Harlem and ending on the great concert stages of the world. Ellington composed and wrote the arrangements for almost everything the band played, tailoring his work to the personalities of the individual musicians.

Almost everyone knows “Take the “A” Train,” an Ellington band classic composed by Duke’s cherished collaborator, Billy Strayhorn. This song invites the listener to get on the train to Harlem, where the great jazz is happening. Our trumpeter, Harry Ostrander, has solo honors for this jazz favorite, along with Tim McKay, whose unique style reminds us of Harry Carney, Ellington’s great baritone saxophone player.

“Mood Indigo” was composed in 1930, based on a melody by clarinetist Barney Bigard, who heard a version of the tune in his native New Orleans. The lyric captures the song’s somber intent: “You ain’t been blue,

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’til you’ve had that Mood Indigo.” The Barclay’s Frank Fontaine will channel Bigard’s New Orleans blues.

Hold onto your hats for our final selection in the Ellington set! “Braggin’ in Brass” is a tour de force for the entire band, and especially the brass section.

Solos include Landon Grigsby on trumpet and Alex Iles on trombone.

Next, our audience must vote for the Second Act winner, a very tough choice, followed by a great song from the winning band.

Finally, you will choose between tonight’s two winning bands to select the overall winner of our Battle of the Bands. Our final selection will raise the roof as The Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra sends you home with a classic from the overall winner.

SHELLY BERG Shelly Berg, a Steinway Artist and multi-Grammy-nominated pianist, arranger, and producer, is widely recognized as one of today’s foremost jazz musicians. His newest release, Alegría (ArtistShare, 2024), recorded with bassist Carlitos Del Puerto and drummer Dafnis Prieto, has been hailed as “an instant jazz piano trio classic” (Modern Drummer). The album’s track “At Last” earned a 2025 Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition.

His earlier project, Gershwin Reimagined: An American in London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, was praised as a “magnificent tribute” (Fanfare) and a bold reimagining of Gershwin’s music. Berg’s discography also includes The Deep (with Dave Finck), The Nearness of You, Meeting of Minds with Dick Hyman, and Blackbird, which topped U.S. jazz radio charts and garnered Record and Artist of the Year nominations.

Berg has arranged for, performed, and recorded with artists including Gloria Estefan, Steve Miller, Stevie Wonder, Renée Fleming, Chicago, and Arturo Sandoval, earning multiple Grammy nominations.

Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, Berg is also artistic director of The Jazz Cruise and Irvine Barclay Theatre’s Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra.

THE BARCLAY JAZZ & BEYOND ORCHESTRA The Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra is a premier ensemble comprised of Orange County musicians that is dedicated to exploring jazz and popular music through the creation and presentation of unique and entertaining concert programs. Led by Music Director Shelly Berg, The Barclay Jazz & Beyond Orchestra brings a fresh approach to the genre through new compositions, compelling arrangements of jazz classics, and collaboration with world-class guest soloists.

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UPCOMING

JAZZ EVENTS THE BAD PLUS FAREWELL TOUR SAT SEP 26, 2026 AT 8PM

SNARKY PUPPY SUN OCT 4, 2026 AT 7PM

SWINGIN’ THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS THE BARCLAY JAZZ & BEYOND ORCHESTRA SHELLY BERG, THE TOM AND MAYUMI ADAMS MUSIC DIRECTOR FEATURING ERIC MARIENTHAL AND LUCY WOODWARD

WED DEC 9, 2026 AT 8PM

AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE QUARTET SAT MAR 6, 2027 AT 8PM

ENDEA OWENS AND THE COOKOUT SAT APR 17, 2027 AT 8PM

TOM ROGERS AND SALLY ANDERSON WITH THE BARCLAY PRESENT

ELLA & JOE: A TRIBUTE TO THE MUSIC & STYLE OF ELLA FITZGERALD AND JOE WILLIAMS

THE BARCLAY JAZZ & BEYOND ORCHESTRA SHELLY BERG, THE TOM AND MAYUMI ADAMS MUSIC DIRECTOR FEATURING CARMEN BRADFORD AND JAMIE DAVIS

FRI MAY 14, 2027 AT 8PM

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

HONORARY Larry Agran Mayor, City of Irvine

DIRECTORS Eugene Choi Betty Martinez Franco Harason Horowitz Terry Jones Mike Kerr Jennifer Klein Dr.Tiffany Ana López Bonnie Lubock James Mai Sherry L. K. Main Jerry Mandel, Ph.D. Christopher Ramsey Richard and Cheryll Ruszat Kathleen Treseder, Ph.D. Stuart Winston Anu Worah

Howard Gillman, Ph.D. Chancellor University of California, Irvine

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AS OF SEP 1, 2026

Bob Romney, Chairman Community Leader Gary Fabian, Treasurer Chief Financial Officer Kind Lending William Parker, Secretary

Professor Emeritus Physics and Astronomy University of California, Irvine

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IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE IS GRATEFUL FOR SUPPORT FROM OUR GENEROUS INSTITUTIONAL AND CORPORATE PARTNERS

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PUBLIC PARTNERS FOR THEIR MORE THAN 35 YEARS OF UNWAVERING SUPPORT

Larry Agran, Mayor, City of Irvine

Chancellor Howard Gillman, Ph.D.

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