The Jazz Preservation Society, in collaboration with the Craven Arts Council & Gallery, will present 50 years of legendary jazz on June 27.
The Monitors will take the stage at the Cullman Auditorium in the North Carolina History Center, 529 S. Front St., for a 7 p.m. show.
Tickets are $20 and are available at the Bank of the Arts, 317 Middle St., New Bern.
The Monitors, founded in the 1950s by Cleveland Flowe and Bill Myers, was organized to make available to the public a band that could play all kinds of music for any occasion.
After Flowe relocated, Myers is the only remaining member of the original group.
The current group is comprised of Myers, the leader on keyboards, saxophone, flute and vibes; Willie Dupree – baritone; Gerald “Bishop” Hunter – guitar; Mollie Hunter – vocals; Robert “Dick” Knight – trumpet; Sam “The Man” Lathan – drums; Clark Mills Jr. – piano; Jerome Morgan – bass; Fred Moye – tenor saxophone; and Donald Tuckson – alto saxophone.
This outstanding musical ensemble has played at concerts, cabarets and street festivals and performed opening concerts for stars such as Ray Charles and Roberta Flack.
They also have been the back-up band for celebrity artists such as Otis Redding, Millie Jackson, Major Lance, Faye Adams, Joyce Thorne, Connie Harvey, Maceo Parker and Milton Bulluck.
The Monitors were the featured guests with the Barton College/Wilson Symphony Orchestra, and they recently completed a tour in North and South Carolina with the North Carolina Symphony.
Myers, Hunter, Knight and Lathan are featured on the African-American Music Trail in Eastern North Carolina, and Myers was recently honored with the 2014 N.C. Heritage Award.
For additional information, contact the Craven Arts Council at 638-2577 or email at cravenarts@cravenarts.org.
Submitted by: George Brown, New Bern Jazz Preservation Society