Performance: John Blount and Dave Tucker Bring Big Band Sound to Cherry Theater at Columbia State on October 30

Columbia native John Blount, left, and Dave Tucker will bring their big band sound to the Cherry Theater of Columbia State on October 30 as part of the 2008-2009 Columbia State Community College Performance Series. “As a youngster, it was always a dream of mine to return to Columbia with my band and perform in front of the hometown folks with all those people who have influenced my life,” said Blount, a Columbia native. “This opportunity is my dream, come true.”

Blount, a former United States Navy Band Commodores trumpeter has played all over the United States and Europe in venues including the JFK Center in the nation’s capital and the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore. Blount has conducted at the Montreux Jazz Festival and in Europe at the Jazz Festival in Vienne, France. Natalie Cole, Doc Severinsen, Lou Rawls, Aretha Franklin, Maureen McGovern and the Glen Miller Band are just a few of the names he has performed with.