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The Jungle Book film image; cartoon boy with a bear and panther in the jungle

Matt Grinke's Happiest Jazz Quintet Play Classic Disney Songs

+ The Jungle Book Film Screening

VIFF Live

© 1967, Disney

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The Happiest Big Band on Earth had their first show on April 27, 2018, and was born through Matt Grinke’s love of jazz and Disney. Since then, the Happiest band has continued to morph and shift into many different sounds and sizes, anywhere from a trio to the full 17-piece big band, including this quintet! Matt has also shifted from just a Disney fan to pianist and music director for Disney Cruise Line, and is more than happy to arrange and perform Disney tunes even when he’s not on contract! The band’s hour-long set will be followed by a brief intermission, and then a chance to enjoy the grooviest of the studio’s 20th century animated classics, the original 1967 version of The Jungle Book, featuring songs like I Wanna Be Like You, The Bare Necessities and Trust In Me.

Tenor Sax – John Nicholson
Trumpet – Rory Hislop
Piano – Matt Grinke
Bass – Monica Sumulong Dumas
Drums – Trent Otter

 

VIFF Live Ticket Pack: See three VIFF Live events for $80!  Buy Ticket Pack

 

Co-Presented with

Guest

Matt Grinke’s The Happiest Big Band on Earth

Date

Aug 31

Time

2:00pm

Venue

VIFF Centre, VIFF Cinema

G

Open to youth!
$25 youth tickets available

160 min

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Screenwriter

Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson, Vance Gerry

Editor

Tom Acosta, Norman Carlisle

Original Music

George Bruns

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