Having enjoyed the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra in the past, I find this new offering very enticing. Apparently, before he passed, Maurice White of Earth, Wind, and Fire fame composed a "powerful and expansive orchestral score that bridges eras and genres—capturing his creative spirit of its original moment while resonating freshly in the present day." That score was lost to history, but recently found and will be performed lived by SJO with The Grammy-nominated and Soul Train Music Award-winning Chanté Moore bringing her expressive vocals to the project. I expect this combination of talents to put the Carpenter Center into one sweet groove.

From the Press Notes: The concert’s capstone is a remarkable story of rediscovery and artistic revival. PASSAGES was composed by White 23 years ago and believed to be lost to time. Shortly after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, then retiring from performing with Earth, Wind & Fire, White poured his considerable talents into writing and producing music. SJO music directors George Duke and Mitch Glickman commissioned White and his writing partner, Bill Meyers, to create a 10-minute work in 2003, which was filmed in a series of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Unfortunately, the project was never completed, and the original score, sketches and tracks were shelved. With renewed interest from an upcoming Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, a search for the archival video was successfully conducted, and the work was discovered in video footage shot during the creation of the piece. Meyers, who co-composed the work, painstakingly rebuilt the piece from the footage. This concert series marks the first opportunity for audiences to experience White’s powerful and expansive orchestral score that bridges eras and genres—capturing his creative spirit of its original moment while resonating freshly in the present day.

Performers: Symphonic Jazz Orchestra Mitch Glickman, conductor Chanté Moore, vocalist.
Tix @ Symphonic Jazz Orchestra

The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located in Long Beach at CSULB. It's a lovely area and a beautiful venue.