FARMINGTON — A favorite event of past Summer Fests, the evening street dance, is alive and well again! This year’s Summer Fest Committee is pleased to introduce “The Sunday Project”, an 8-piece combo/ensemble from the Skowhegan area.
The Sunday Project brings a new sound to the traditional street dance on Broadway, playing tunes like “in the Mood” a song from the 1940s, and other old-time swing music – yet another reflection of Summer Fest’s theme of “Old Tyme Fun”. What could be more fun than to dance in the street to a lively swing band?
The members of the band come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds and their ages range from early 30s to mid-80s. Jason Giacomazzo, from Skowhegan, is the director of the group. He plays saxophone and keyboard with The Sunday Project. Giacomazzo is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Music Performance. Currently, he is a preservation specialist with Maine Vital Records and is also President of the Kennebec Performing Arts Company.
Victoria Hatch plays alto saxophone. She calls herself “a life-long hobbyist”, having played since grade school, with a 10-year hiatus for raising a family. She now plays anywhere she can – “in a big band, little band, jazz band, marching band, jazz jams and even pit bands for musicals…. it doesn’t matter,” she exclaims. Hatch plays regularly with the Skowhegan Community Band, the Old Crow Band in Farmington and Kennebec Performing Arts in Augusta – a wind ensemble and jazz band. In her day job, Hatch is the Register of Probate for Somerset County.
On tenor saxophone is Whitney Cunliffe, who is the owner of Whits End Restaurant in Skowhegan. Jay Marden plays trombone for the group. He is the physics and science teacher at Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford, and lives in Parkman. A retired Army Band member, Randy Salisbury, plays the piano and trumpet.
Toey Mahattanan, a doctor at Redington Fairview General Hospital, plays the trumpet for the Sunday Project. She is originally from Thailand and LOVES living in Maine, according to band mate Victoria Hatch.
The drummer for The Sunday Project is Les Tomlinson, from Madison. He is a retired music educator and director of the Skowhegan Community Band. Peter Foxwell, a retired photographer, plays bass. He is well-known locally as a bass teacher and has played for many years in numerous groups around the area.
A few years ago some of the members of the band got together to practice Christmas jazz tunes to share at the holidays. Having very busy schedules in their day jobs during the week, they decided to meet on Sunday evenings for their rehearsals. They loved it so much, according to Victoria Hatch, that they continued to play every Sunday for years, and hence the name: “The Sunday Project”.
The band plays mostly old swing music from the Big Band era, and old standards like “Surfing, USA”. They have had several opportunities to play various venues from local events, like the Farmer’s Market, concerts in the park, galas, Chamber of Commerce events, the Skowhegan Fair and even the annual Winter Revels in Vienna, to name a few. Though the members of the band have very diverse backgrounds in music, one thing is certain, says Hatch – they all love to play music.
The Sunday Project will be performing on upper Broadway beginning at 7 p.m., during Summer Fest, on Saturday, July 25th. Bring your dancing shoes!
For more information on The Sunday Project go to https://www.facebook.com/SundayProjectJazz
For more information on Summer Fest contact Susun at susun@minikins.org.
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