The Commodores Big Band, a favourite of Victoria ballroom dancers, gets to show off its stage band chops on its annual visit to Pat’s House of Jazz in Crofton on Sunday, Oct. 1.
Perhaps Victoria’s most versatile big band, the Commodores plays a hugely varied repertoire of music suitable for dances and stage shows.
The 18-piece band has been performing since 1975 when it was called the Coppertones. The Commodores name was chosen in 1984 to reflect Victoria’s nautical history, the band’s publicist said.
The band, led by Mark Fraser for more than a decade, is well known to ballroom dancers at Butchart Gardens, The Empress Hotel, Leonardo Da Vinci Centre, Langford Legion and Edelweiss Club.
The band’s vocalist, Kim Greenwood, a successful crossover artist equally at home in a big band or a classical ensemble, is on the voice faculty at the Canadian College of Performing Arts.
The performance is part of the Pat’s House of Jazz series, running from 2 to 5 p.m. each Sunday at the Osborne Bay Pub in the Crofton Hotel.
The pub is at 1534 Joan Ave., a stone’s throw from the Salt Spring Island ferry terminal. Admission is $15. For information, call 250-324-2245 or visit http://croftonhotel.ca.
