Cooper bringing orchestra back to Morris
The Steve Cooper Orchestra will perform on the Grundy County Courthouse lawn Thursday, June 4.
The first in the city of Morris' Summer Concert Series will run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
From the Chicago area, the 11-piece orchestra will perform Big Band sounds and feature vocalist Mary Kalfas. A resident of Lyons, Ill., Kalfas sings in a smooth, mellow jazz style.
The band plays the actual arrangements of the Swing bands of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman and County Basie, as well as the Sweet bands of Dick Jurgens, Eddie Howard, Lawrence Welk, Sammy Kaye, Freddy Martin, Tiny Hill, Chuck Foster, Jan Garber. Also mixed in are the Dixieland bands of Red Nichols and Bob Crosby.
They also play styles of all the hot Latin rhythms, including samba, mambo, merengue, tango, rhumba and cha cha. In addition, they play rock 'n' roll songs in the Big Band-style, which appeals to all age groups.
Cooper and his band have played with many famous bands at parties for many big stars. They include Bob Crosby, Sammy Kaye, Ted Weems, Buddy Rich, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Mayron Floren, Duke Ellington, Jan Garber, Wayne King and the local bands of Teddy Lee, Stanley Paul, and Franz Benteler & the Royal Strings.
Recently, the Steve Cooper Orchestra put on a three-hour concert and stage show with many original members of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra. It was followed by a three-hour dance playing all Lawrence Welk music from his great TV show of the past 50 years.
The band has played parties for Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, Liza Minelli, Larry King, Steve Allen, Marvin Hamlisch, the cast of NBC's "Frasier," Phil Donahue, Rush Limbaugh, and Jim Belushi, as well as on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Most recently the orchestra played for Julie Andrews, who starred in "My Fair Lady," "Mary Poppins," "Camelot," and many other movies and TV shows.
It also performs regularly in the Chicago area at The Willowbrook Ballroom and The Chevy Chase Country Club.
This will be the seventh straight year the Steve Cooper Orchestra will have performed as part of the city of Morris' summer concert series. This year, the band will perform all kinds of Big Band ballroom songs, as well as a special segment of Dixieland music and a tribute to New Orleans.
Folks attending the concert should bring lawns chairs or blankets on which to sit. In case of inclement weather, be it rain, high heat of high humidity, the concert will be held in the auditorium of Morris Community High School.
A sign denoting a location change will be placed on the courthouse lawn. The information will also be available on local radio stations WCSJ and WJDK, by calling city hall at (815) 942-0103, or by contacting Delight Belt at (815) 942-0502 or Jerry Belt at (815) 509-0877.