SFCC Jazz Series: Butch Thompson Trio January 9, 2009

South Florida Community College's 2009 Jazz Series begins with the Butch Thompson Trio.

For more than 40 years, pianist and clarinetist Thompson has been entertaining worldwide audiences with his mastery of traditional and ragtime jazz. The Butch Thompson Trio is most famous for its 12-year stint as the house band for public radio's "A Prairie Home Companion," where Thompson was the pianist. He was a consultant on the Broadway musical, "Jelly's Last Jam."

The trio has earned critical and popular acclaim for its fresh approach to the classic early jazz tradition. A typical concert offers blues, stomps, ragtime, and pop songs of the era, all tied together with Thompson's entertaining and informative commentary. From Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" to Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," from down and dirty blues out of the south side of Chicago to the roaring stride of 1920s Harlem, this little band puts on a very big show.

The 2009 Jazz Series season sponsors include Bill and Lisa Jarrett, Charles and Anne Reynolds, and Highlands Today (media sponsor). The performance sponsor for the Butch Thompson Trio is Doris and Ervin Purucker.

Tickets are $23 and $25 and may be purchased online at http://performances.southflorida.edu or at the SFCC Box Office in the SFCC Auditorium, 600 W. College Drive, Avon Park, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.