These masters of jazz and vocal harmony join the BPO for an evening of all-time favorite standards and new arrangements including
Angel Eyes, Skylark and Day by Day. This program will open with the group Babik, one of the hottest bands in Buffalo- an incredible group of musicians who play a special brand of jazz called "gypsy
swing."
Artists Profile
The Four Freshmen- Celebrating 56 years, this group is the longest lasting vocal harmony ensemble since their inception in 1946. The original group was
comprised of Bob Flanigan, Don Barbour, Ross Barbour, and Hal Kratzsch and is most well known for their first hit "It's a Blue World". Ross Barbour and Bob Flanigan are still involved with The Four Freshmen.
There have been 22 variations of the group up to this point, but they are still The Four Freshmen and carry on the original cutting-edge sounds. The new group not only preserves the Freshmen sound, they
enhance it with their youth, vitality and talent giving a new treatment to the Great American Songbook.
Two out of the last three years The Four Freshmen were voted DOWN BEAT magazine's vocal group of the
year! In 2004 Jazz Times readers voted them Vocal Group of the year above Take Six and Manhattan Transfer. The Freshmen enjoy a unique fan club offering the support of over 3,000 members across the United
States, Netherlands, and Japan. Their fan club has been said to rival that of "N SYNC" and "The Back Street Boys".
The Four Freshmen have bragging rights to 41 albums, over 70 top selling singles, 6
Grammy Nominations, and numerous television appearances.
Babik
- The Buffalo News calls Babik "one of the hottest bands in Buffalo," and music fans seem to agree as Babik won Best Jazz Band in Buffalo at the 2006 Artvoice Awards. The group also walked away with a Best of W.N.Y. award at Buffalo Spree Magazines first ever awards presentation. So, who is Babik and what is all the excitement about? Babik (pronounced Bah-`beek) is a quartet of incredible musicians who play a special brand of jazz known as gypsy swing, which was created in the 1930s by the legendary 2-fingered guitarist, Django Reinhardt. The style blends American big band swing with the exotic flare of European gypsy folk-songs. Babik approaches this happy music with a modern sensibility. Their passionate improvisations and toe-tapping rhythms delight both listener and dancer alike.
The group performs all of their music on acoustic instruments. The guitars, strings, and even the picks, are specially chosen to produce that unique gypsy sound! The members of Babik are Stuart Fuchs on
lead guitar, Geoff Perry on violin, Josh Assad on rhythm guitar, and Kevin OBrien on upright bass. This all-string jazz ensemble creates exciting music that is enjoyed by the young, the old, and everyone in
between.
The Four Freshmen 
