ORANGE CITY – She’s been called the female Louis Armstrong and “Queen Clarinet,” and she will be performing in Orange City Friday, Sept. 27.
It’s Doreen Ketchens, aka Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans. Doreen and her band will perform at 8:30pm on the Northwestern College Green on September 27, sponsored by the Orange City Arts Council, Diamond Vogel Paint, Lee Ann Roetman and Northwestern College.
Doreen wows audiences with her clarinet and voice, and her husband, Lawrence Ketchens, does the same with his tuba. They have performed with Trombone Shorty, Jon Faddis and Al Hirt, to name a few. Their band has represented New Orleans on five continents, on PBS, HBO and MTV, and has entertained four U.S. presidents: Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.
The band boasts 21 CDs and three DVDs.
Critics have raved about Doreen’s Jazz for decades. “The headlining band for the 2nd annual Dubuque Winter Jazz festival had the Opera House jumping!” wrote Rob Kindert of The Telegraph Herald. “It’s not just the music. Doreen Ketchens flat out lights up a room. Her smile and quick wit complemented her superb talent on the clarinet and the wide-ranging resonance of her voice that would’ve made Louis Armstrong proud.”
Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans to perform in Orange City
Yes, she wails on the clarinet. Yes, her vocals are equally amazing. Doreen Ketchens and her band have performed around the world, and on Friday, Sept. 27, Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans will bring their blues, jazz, soul and gospel to Orange City. Sponsors are the Orange City Arts Council, Diamond Vogel Paint, Lee Ann Roetman and Northwestern College.
Other band members are Dwayne Nelson, drums, and Paul Kemnitz, guitar, plus Pete Hittle, trumpeter from Sioux City, who joins Doreen on her northwest Iowa tours.
The Ketchens’ met Gerry Bouma, musician and Orange City native, in 2001 in New Orleans. Through Bouma, Doreen’s Jazz performed at the Morningside Jazz Festival in ’04. Later, following Hurricane Katrina, Doreen and company amazed northwest Iowans with their blues, jazz, soul and gospel at Northwestern, Dordt, Morningside and USD.
The concert Sept. 27 will be held under a huge tent on the Northwestern College Green, with rain location the Northwestern Chapel. Suggested donation is $5.
A workshop will be held for music students from 4:30-5:30pm Sept. 27 at Northwestern’s Chapel.
For more information, contact ocArts@orangecityiowa.com or 712-707-4885.
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