The official touring big band of the United States Army is coming to Mansfield to play a free concert and promote patriotism during Independence Day week.

From the big band sounds of the 1940s to contemporary hits, the Jazz Ambassadors of the United States Army Field Band play music to appeal to audiences of all ages. The Jazz Ambassadors will play 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 6 at the Renaissance Theatre. The concert is being presented by the Mansfield News Journal Media and Renaissance Performing Arts.

Tickets are free but are required and are available 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday at the News Journal, 70 E. Fourth St., and 12-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday at the Renaissance Box Office and over the phone at 419-522-2726.

The 19-musician band’s repertoire includes big band swing, bebop, Latin, contemporary jazz, standards, popular tunes, Dixieland vocals and patriotic selections.

Many of the pieces are written or arranged by members of Jazz Ambassadors, who are recruited through a highly competitive audition process.

The Jazz Ambassadors have appeared in a variety of high profile contexts, including performances with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Syracuse Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony Pops, the Colorado Pops Orchestra and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall.

The band has appeared at the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Richmond Jazz Festival at Maymont, the Jazz Education Network Conference in Louisville, KY, the Kennedy Center Honors and The Colbert Report.

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Staff report