Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble to perform

The 19-member Jazz Band, directed by Dr. Timothy McGarvey, will perform six pieces. The concert opens with Take the ‘A’ Train, a modern adaptation of the classic made famous by Duke Ellington. A modern arrangement of Cole Porter’s I Get a Kick Out of You will feature senior Titus Landegent on the drums. Other pieces the band will perform include Sammy Nestico’s After the Rain, which was written for, performed and recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra, and a new arrangement of Caravan by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol.

The Percussion Ensemble, a select group of 10 percussion players under the direction of Dan Duffield, will open its performance with Thomas O’Connor’s Orientale, a piece featuring instruments, sounds and melodies rooted in the Far East practices of music. The ensemble will also perform Little Suite by Kenneth C. Crause, a staple in percussion ensemble literature, according to Duffield. Little Suite has three short but distinct movements including a fanfare, waltz and energetic finale. Dragoon by Lynn Glassock, featuring South American jungle and tribal sounds, will conclude the ensemble’s performance.

“It will be an exciting concert for the audience to hear because of the great variety of jazz styles and the many different soloists who are featured,” says McGarvey.