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- Maurice White and Bill Meyers composed a 10-minute orchestral work in 2003; original materials were shelved and later reconstructed from archival video footage.
- Symphonic Jazz Orchestra music director Mitch Glickman calls the resurrected piece a lasting homage blending jazz, classical, R&B, Latin, and African influences.
- KB White says the reconstruction returns his father’s spirit to his jazz roots, inviting listeners to explore and savor the music.
- Symphonic Jazz Orchestra has commissioned over 40 new works, championing hybrid jazz-classical programming and featuring Grammy-winning soloists across Southern California venues.
- Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire founder, is celebrated as a visionary who fused spirituality, horns, kalimbas, layered harmonies, and African diasporic rhythms.
PERFORMANCES BY SYMPHONIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA IN
LONG BEACH, CA, MAY 9-10
Click to Hear Maurice White from 2003 talking about writing the new work for the SJO
LONG BEACH, CA (For Release 03.05.26)— The 68-member Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (SJO), the nation’s premier hybrid orchestra blending the worlds of jazz and classical music, today announced the newly discovered orchestral work believed to be lost to time. Commissioned by SJO music directors George Duke and Mitch Glickman in 2002, PASSAGES was composed by musical trailblazer Maurice White, founder and leader of Earth, Wind & Fire. A remarkable story of rediscovery and artistic revival, the composition will finally receive its world premiere at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, California, May 9-10, 2026. It marks the first opportunity for audiences to experience White’s powerful and expansive orchestral score that bridges eras and genres—capturing his creative spirit of its original moment while resonating freshly in the present day. The premiere performance will anchor a program paying tribute to White, comprising some of Earth Wind & Fire’s greatest hits arranged by jazz luminaries including John Clayton, Derrick Hodge, Vince Mendoza, Marshall Giles and Mitch Glickman. Special guest artists to be announced soon.
Shortly after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, then retiring from performing with Earth, Wind & Fire, White poured his considerable talents into writing and producing music. White and his longtime writing partner, Bill Meyers, composed the 10-minute work in 2003, which was filmed in a series of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Unfortunately, the project was never completed, and the original score, sketches and tracks were shelved. With renewed interest from an upcoming Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, a search for the archival video was successfully conducted, and the work was discovered in video footage shot during the creation of the piece. Meyers, who co-composed the work, painstakingly rebuilt the piece from the footage.
Quote from Mitch Glickman,
music director of Symphony Jazz Orchestra: “We are overjoyed to finally be able to bring to life Maurice’s commissioned work for the SJO. This lost musical treasure is more than a premiere – it is a lasting homage to Maurice. PASSAGES reflects his genre-defying approach to music blending jazz, classical, R&B, Latin, African and more into a work showcasing the diversity of the SJO.”
Quote from KB White,
son of Maurice White: “My father’s essence was always jazz at his core. This resurrected piece is incredibly exciting because it brings him back to his foundation. What he created was a presentation of his spirit, and he wanted people to take their time with it, to truly explore it. For him, it was always about discovery.”
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About Symphonic Jazz Orchestra
Debuting in 2002, the 68-member Symphonic Jazz Orchestra (SJO) is a unique hybrid ensemble dedicated to blending the worlds of jazz and classical music. The ensemble has performed throughout Southern California at such venues as the Richard & Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Royce Hall (UCLA), Walt Disney Theater (CalArts) and Marsee Auditorium. Soloists joining the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra have included Grammy Award-winning performers such as George Duke, Dave Grusin, Keyon Harrold, Christian McBride, Raul Midon, Jane Monheit, Lee Ritenour, Chris Brubeck, Luciana Souza, Ernie Watts, Terri Lynne Carrington, The Yellowjackets and Miguel Zénon. The SJO’s acclaimed recording Looking Forward, Looking Back includes two commissioned works by George Duke and Lee Ritenour, along with George Gershwin’s classic “Rhapsody in Blue.” Hosted by SJO music director Mitch Glickman, the SJO’s radio series “Beyond Symphonic Jazz” on America’s #1 jazz station KJAZZ 88.1 FM, reaches an international audience each week. The orchestra’s commissioning program has resulted in over 40 newly commissioned works and premieres from both established and emerging composers from across the country.
About Maurice White
Maurice White (1941-2016) was less a frontman than a sonic architect. A quiet visionary who built entire worlds out of rhythm and light. As the founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, he fused cosmic spirituality, tight horn arrangements, layered harmonies, and African diasporic percussion into a sound that felt both ancient and futuristic. A former session drummer at Chess Records, White understood groove from the inside out, but his true gift was imagination: pyramids onstage, kalimbas in pop radio, falsettos floating over funk basslines. He didn’t just make hits, he engineered experiences, turning concerts into ceremonies and songs into affirmations. In doing so, he helped define the emotional and visual language of Black excellence in popular music.
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Program + Concert Details:
A SALUTE TO MAURICE WHITE
Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. + Sunday, May 10 at 7:00 p.m. PT
Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton Street, Long Beach, CA
Tickets: Tix go on sale soon at SJOmusic.org.
Performers
Symphonic Jazz Orchestra
Mitch Glickman, conductor
Program
WHITE/MEYERS PASSAGES (2003) world premiere
WHITE et al /arr. Mitch Glickman In the Stone
WHITE et al/arr. Derrick Hodge Be Ever Wonderful
WHITE et al/arr. Vince Mendoza That’s The Way of the World
WHITE et al/arr. Mitch Glickman Fantasy
WHITE et al/arr. Marshall Giles Reasons
WHITE et al/arr. John Clayton September
GEORGE DUKE Festival
| These special “Salute to Maurice White” concerts are produced by the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, in conjunction with the Estate of Maurice White and Broken Halo Productions. |
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