Chicago musicians Craig Roselieb and Belford Hernandez, shown here, will perform in the 10-member Jazz Maui Little Big Band for a New Year’s Eve concert from 5-8 p.m. at the Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate Factory. Courtesy photo

A special New Year’s Eve concert will feature the 10-member Jazz Maui Little Big Band, performing at Lahaina’s Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate Factory as a fundraiser for Jazz Maui’s music education programs.

“The idea of a little big band is basically three saxes, two trumpets and a trombone plus a rhythm section,” explains Craig Roselieb, the band’s Chicago-based arranger. “It’s basically 10 pieces and there are rotating singers.”

Featuring local and visiting musicians, the band will play a variety of styles from the classic jazz of Duke Ellington to Tower of Power’s funk.

“I’m a big Duke Ellington fan, so we’ve got a couple of Duke Ellington numbers,” Roselieb says. “I tried to pick a variety of different things, like a jazz arrangement of Lennon and McCartney’s ‘Blackbird.’ My friend Pete Ellman has several albums out, and we’ll do his fast swing tune ‘For Pete’s Ache.’ We’ll do a couple of holiday tunes. One of course is ‘What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?,’ and we’ve got the New Orleans’ ‘Hey Pocky A-Way’ and Tower of Power’s ‘Attitude Dance.'”

The members of the ensemble comprise Roselieb on alto and soprano sax, Bruce Boege on tenor sax, John Zangrando on baritone sax, Pete Ellman on trumpet, Henry Arroyo on trombone, Belford Hernandez and Jeff Hellmer on piano, Prem Brosio on guitar, Ashton Yarbrough on bass, and Howie Rentzer on drums. They will be joined by special guests vocalists Joy Belt-Roselieb and Abra Joy, and New York-based trumpeter Tadashi Thomas.

“My wife is going to sing some Natalie Cole and Ella Fitzgerald,” he adds. “And Jeff Helmer’s wife likes to sing Billie Holiday tunes.”

Planning to move to Maui with his wife Joy, Roselieb has been a frequent visitor to the island. After enjoying a 2023 New Year’s Eve Jazz Maui, he was inspired to return this season to create a big band.

“We’ve been talking to (Jazz Maui’s) Bryant Neal and both Joy and I are still active musicians,” he says. “I’m a retired band director and my wife teaches choir, and we said, ‘We’d love to come and join you guys next year.'”

Besides the New Year’s Eve show, Roselieb will perform with the Belford Hernandez Quartet at the ProArts Playhouse on Dec. 27 and the Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate Factory on Dec. 29.

The Belford Hernandez Quartet features keyboardist Belford Hernandez, saxophonist Roselieb, bassist Ashton Yarbrough and drummer Nolan Wren. Special guests include trumpeter Pete Ellman and vocalist Joy Belt-Roselieb. Maui-born trumpeter Tadashi Thomas will also perform with the quartet at the chocolate factory.

A native of Venezuela, Hernandez is an accomplished pianist, composer and conductor who has recorded several solo piano albums. His quartet’s latest recording features several of his original group compositions, as well as solo piano pieces, and a duo with Roselieb. As a composer, Belford has also written and published several choral and instrumental works.

“Belford Hernandez and I have been playing together in the Chicago area for about 20 years,” says Roselieb. “Together we’ve written almost a dozen original tunes. It’s all original music. They’re varying styles of jazz, and we’re going to feature those together with Ashton Yarbrough and Nolan Wren. My friend Pete Ellman and I play in a big band around the Chicago area on a regular basis called the Pete Ellman Big Band.”

Ellman has performed nationally with artists such as Wayne Newton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Aretha Franklin.

Reviewing the Pete Ellman Big Band’s album, “The Twelve Grooves of Christmas,” AllAboutJazz noted: “This high-energy Chicago unit deliver thirteen outstanding selections performed with bravado and, as the title states, each in a unique, stylized groove. In terms of its clever charts, swing, and grooves,” it “provides one of the best big band holiday efforts in a long time.” And a Downbeat review of Ellman’s album “For Pete’s Ache,” praised: “Ellman’s ensemble successfully straddles the divide between tech-band concert jazz and dance-friendly big band entertainment.”

Asked about his love for jazz, Roselieb says, “I love the variety of styles. I love the improvisation. I love the way you can make a melody speak through different styles in jazz, because it just adds a lot of color and style with jazz language that’s not present otherwise. I’m a big fan of classical music, too. One of the things I wrote was a Latin version of Bach’s ‘Flute Sonata.’ The rhythm is called Mozambique, so we called it ‘MozamBach.'”

The Jazz Maui Little Big Band will perform on New Year’s Eve with music beginning at 5 p.m. and concluding at 8 p.m. Festivities include party favors, 360 photo booth experience, complimentary champagne toast, live broadcast of the Times Square Ball Drop and an online silent auction. The online silent auction features a variety of items, and bidders do not have to be present. Funds raised from the online auction will support Jazz Maui’s Music and Arts Education programs. Tickets are $100.

The Belford Hernandez Quartet will perform at the ProArts Playhouse on Dec. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $20-$40 and are available at ProArtsMaui.org. The Quartet will play the Maui Ku’ia Estate Chocolate Factory from 5-7 p.m. Dec. 29.

Tickets are $30 at jazzmaui.org. Recordings by Craig Roselieb and the Belford Hernandez Quartet are available at rosiemusic.com/home.