Glacier Symphony and Chorale’s music director, John Zoltek will trade his baton for an electric guitar when he takes the stage on Friday, April 25, for “Jazz Night with the Maestro.” 

The show at the Alpine Ballroom in Kalispell will be the final installment of the “Symphony Soloist Spotlight,” a series of informal concerts held over this winter’s concert season that featured selected guest soloists.

Joining Zoltek for the evening will be jazz musicians Don Caverly on percussion and Ron Reeves on electric bass. 

This will be the premiere performance of the trio. They will offer an array of modern jazz tunes by Jeff Beck, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dave Holland, Mongo Santamaria and Wes Montgomery. In addition, the trio will offer a number of original jazz tunes penned by guitarist Zoltek just for this occasion with evocative tiles like “Dark Valley,” “Springtime Muse,” “You Groove Me,” “When Waiting for You” and others. To set the scene, the Alpine Ballroom will be transformed into a casual nightclub with seating at tables and a cash wine and beer bar.

Though Zoltek is most known for his long career as a classical music conductor, he came to love music through the guitar. As a young student he began playing guitar at age 7 and continued his guitar and jazz studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. While there the classical music bug bit him and he changed musical direction. Although Zoltek has immersed himself in the symphonic world as both conductor and composer he has never lost interest in the guitar and jazz.

“I am very excited about playing with Ron and Don and the music we are making. I would describe it as electrically charged jazz with elements of funk, Latin and rock,” he said. “It’s definitely a fusion style in the electric jazz/rock guitar trio tradition.”

Caverly has been a fixture on the Flathead Valley music scene for several years. Raised in Montana he is a prolific multi-instrumentalist, performing and teaching on drums, bass, guitar and piano. He is a graduate of the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho, and has studied with some of the world’s most prominent musicians, including Claudio Roditi, Russel Malone, Roy Hargrove and John Clayton.

Reeves began his 47-year musical career on the trombone at age 10. He also picked up the baritone, tuba, sousaphone, various percussion, and guitar and electric bass. In 1974 he joined the U.S. Army Band School of Music, which fostered his deep interest in audio recording, live performance audio support and related production. In 1994 he moved to Kalispell and was manager at Jones Music and Sound for four years. In 1998 he started his own audio recording and engineering company. He continues to play music when he is not managing the sounds for a wide list of clients ranging from the Glacier Symphony and Chorale to a host of nationally recognized bands.              

Doors will open at 7 p.m. at the Alpine Ballroom at 333 S. Main St. in Kalispell and the music will start at 7:30 pm. Seating is limited and early purchase of tickets is recommended. Cost is $15 per person and tickets can be purchased online at www.gscmusic.org or by calling 407-7000.