News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Angey Saucier Date: 11/5/02 Click on image for publication quality photo  COMMODORES AT THE COLUMBIA – The United States Navy Commodores will bring the best of jazz and popular music to the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts 7:30 p.m. November 11. The concert is free, however a ticket is required for admission. NAVY BAND COMMODORES TO PERFORM AT COLUMBIA THEATRE       HAMMOND -- Southeastern Louisiana University’s department of music and dramatic arts will present the Commodores, the United States Navy Band’s jazz ensemble from Washington, D.C., in concert at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. November 11.        The concert is free, however a ticket is required for admission.       The Navy Band Commodores, founded in 1966, features 19 top jazz and big band musicians, including five saxophonists, four trombonists, four trumpeters, a four member rhythm section, soloist and audio technician.       Under the direction of Master Chief Musician Leland V. Gause, the Commodores combine the best of jazz and popular music, featuring exciting and original compositions and arrangements by members of the group. The result of the band’s artistic ingenuity is a mixture of styles ranging from the authentic sounds of the swing era to contemporary high-energy.       Soloist for the Columbia performance will be Musician First Class Yolanda C. Pelzer, who also serves as the Commodore’s tour operations representative.       Pelzer, who unofficially began her singing career at the age of five when Ellis Fitzgerald singled her out to join her onstage to sing “A Tiskit, A Tasket,” has sang lead roles in “Ain’t Misbehavin” and “Purlie.” She has performed with the Solider’s Chorus, the Jazz Knights and has performed for Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton and Helmut Kohl. She is a recipient of the Best Actress Award in a drama competition at South Carolina State University, and has also received the “Young, Gifted and Black” award for excellence in drama from the Columbia Urban League.       The groups latest compact disc, “Commodores Live!” was released in the summer of 2002. The same year, the Commodores performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage. In 2000, the Commodores performed at Hunter College in New York City and Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, N.Y. in conjunction with the International Naval Review. The group celebrated the 4th of July 1998 in Dublin, Ireland performing for thousands of Dubliners at two public concerts, and a special performance at the U.S. Ambassador's residence for Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith's final official function. They have also performed at the Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival and the famed Newport Jazz Festival, and toured Central and South America, Europe and the United States.       Tickets and further information on the Commodores concert are available by calling 985-549-2184. Any unclaimed seats will be available to non-ticket holders just prior to the concert beginning at 6:30 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are general admission. Return to News Releases