The popular jazz-infused Wilbur Rehmann Quintet gives a free performance at Library Park behind the Great Falls Public Library on June 25th from 7 to 9 pm.
Mike Clark of the Great Yellowstone Coalition said of the group once, “Wilbur Rehmann and his (Quintet) have brought to us a sense of joy, wonder and solitude with their original jazz interpretations, which explore the interior landscapes of the American West and the meaning of wilderness.”
The group is made up of Rehmann, who plays alto, tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones, Blackie Nelson on guitar, Ken Nelson on piano/keyboard, Rennan Rieke on acoustic bass, and Jeremy Slead on drums.
Rehmann, according to their website, plays “a clean sound on alto reminiscent of Paul Desmond but his big, full sound on tenor is as gutsy as Ben Webster or Coleman Hawkins. He is an original and creates music influenced by the high mountains and open plains of Montana. He has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Arnett Cobb, the Big Sky Mudflaps and M.J. Williams.”
Besides performing, Wilbur is a lecturer in the Montana Humanities Speakers Bureau on jazz history and styles workshop. The Quintet also has a sound similar to the legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins and British jazz drummer Bill Bruford. The group’s first album, “Back Home Jazz,” came out in 1996. They followed that up with “Mann Gulch Suite,” in 1999 and then “Old Friends and New,” in 2010.
The next performances at the library after the Wilbur Rehmann Quintet will Pollo Loco on July 9, Brandon Hale and the Dirty Shame on July 16, Supaman on July 23, Little Jane and the Pistol Whips on August 6, The Lucky Valentines on August 13, John Floridis on August 20 and Sally Jo and Friends Blue Grass on August 27.
Our sponsors this year are TDS Fiber, the Great Falls Public Library Foundation, Scheels, Montana Credit Union, Bravera Bank and First Interstate Bank. Please note, people will need to bring their own blankets or chairs to these events and we will have food trucks at the event, as well! In the event of bad weather, the performances will take place in the Cordingley Room.
Author: Staff
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