On Saturday, July 20, The Mainstay welcomes the “trad jazz” music of the 6-piece Conservatory Classic Jazz Band. The group was formed in 2003 to present the sounds of traditional jazz to audiences in Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas. They play New Orleans style, Chicago style, small-group swing, and mainstream jazz.

Members of the group (Brain Alpert on drums, Gary Gregg on clarinet and tenor sax, Dan Hall on bass, Brian Priebe on trombone, Rick Rowe on banjo and guitar, and Kent County’s own Dave Robinson on cornet, trumpet and bass trumpet) have performed with jazz luminaries such as Mose Allison, Les Brown, Doc Severinson, Clark Terry, and Della Reese. The group’s leader, Dave Robinson hosts the show “Jazz Gumbo” on local WKHS FM radio.

The group’s highly accomplished performers in the idiom perform a repertoire that encompasses the music of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, Bessie Smith, Eddie Condon, Benny Goodman and other early jazz pioneers, in addition to the Great American Songbook of such composers as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Hoagy Carmichael.

The band was originally affiliated with a local music conservatory, and their deep experience in jazz education in early jazz heritage reflects that.

Showtime for the Mainstay concert event is 8 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance of the show and can be purchased online at mainstayrockhall.org. Phone reservations are accepted by calling (410) 639-9133 (tickets reserved by phone are $25 when paid at the door). The Mainstay is located at 5753 N Main Street in Rock Hall, Maryland. Its regular calendar of local, regional, and nationally touring artists features a live performance every week of the year (February through December) in a variety of music genres.

The programs of the Mainstay are supported with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.