2011 is the 70th anniversary of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the 100th anniversary of Stan Kenton’s birthday, and the 20th anniversary of the Stan Kenton Alumni Band. In order to commemorate these momentous anniversaries, the Stan Kenton Alumni Band will be taking the stage at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame to offer phenomenal big band jazz in the finest Kenton mold. Mike Vax former lead trumpet with the Stan Kenton Orchestra brings together SKO alums performing Kenton classics with bellowing brass, cutting woodwind solos and vividly vibrant arrangements from Kenton progeny. With creative energy, sublime tightness, and a potently reverential sense of dynamics and intonation, Mike Vax directs a jazz salute worthy of the genius that defined Stan Kenton and his musical legacy. Doors open at 6pm.