Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s fall Jazz Band concert will be held Monday, Nov. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. The performance is free to the public and will also be webcast from www.obu.edu/band.

The concert will present a wide variety of jazz styles including swing, Latin, funk and New Orleans street beat. Music selections will draw attention to various composers and feature improvised solos by student musicians. Carli Sasser, a senior music education major from Hamburg, Ark., will accompany the band as a vocal soloist in selections “‘S Wonderful” by George and Ira Gershwin and “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Buble.

Conducting the concert will be Dr. Craig Hamilton, Ouachita’s Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music, director of bands and coordinator of instrumental studies.

Noting that jazz is “America’s art form,” Hamilton said he expects the audience to find the evening of music entertaining.

“Jazz is a style of music that touches every form of music in the 21st century, from church music to popular music to classical music,” Hamilton said. “An educated musician and listener should be familiar with jazz music and jazz styles to understand the nuances in these other forms.”

In addition to “’S Wonderful” and “Just Haven’t Met You Yet,” the Jazz Band’s selections include: Sammy Nestico’s arrangement of “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” by Count Basie; Dave Wope’s arrangement of “Star Eyes” by Gene DePaul; Mike Tomaro’s arrangement of “Caravan” by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Juan Tizol; “Late Arrival” by Jeff Jarvis; “Grease Wheezer” by Vince Norman; Joe Jackson’s arrangement of “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’” by George and Ira Gershwin; “Just Chattin’” by Lars Halle; “Loop 360” by Rick Lawn; “Emergency Stopping Only” by Craig Skeffington; Roger Holmes’ arrangement of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” by Cole Porter; and “Cheep Tricks” by Kris Berg.

Student musicians performing in the fall 2014 Jazz Band concert are:

Saxophone – Allison King, a senior music major from Fort Worth, Texas; Brent Nessler, a senior music performance major from Rowlett, Texas; Nathan Bateman, a freshman music performance major from Perryville, Ark.; Chelsea Villanueva, a senior music performance major from Rogers, Ark.; and Elizabeth Baker, a senior music performance major from Grapevine, Texas.

Trumpet – Blake Turner, a freshman music major from Fort Worth, Texas; Alexandra Lawson, a sophomore accounting major from Texarkana, Texas; Kelly Cortez, a senior biology and Spanish major from Frisco, Texas; and Elizabeth Lawson, a senior music education major from Texarkana, Texas.

Trombone – Jason Potts, a sophomore music education major from Springdale, Ark.; Dalton King, a sophomore music education major from Greenwood, Ark.; and Kaden Sosebee, a junior Christian studies major from Fort Smith, Ark.

Rhythm – Weston Wills, a sophomore music education major from Norphlet, Ark.; Winston Gentry, a freshman mass communications major from Houston, Texas; Drew Ervin, a senior music and computer science major from Springdale, Ark.; Justin Massey, a junior music education major from Weatherford, Texas; and Chris Hogan, a senior music education major from Bartlesville, Okla.

For more information about Ouachita bands, visit www.obu.edu/band or contact Dr. Craig Hamilton at [email protected] or (870) 245-5137.

 

By Rachel Gaddis // Photo of Brent Nessler, senior music performance major from Rowlett, Texas, by Wesley Kluck