Ouachita Jazz Band to present spring concert March 31
March 18, 2015
- Clair ChildersOuachita Baptist University’s Jazz Band will present its spring concert on Tuesday,
March 31, at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. The performance is free and
open to the public.
The band includes 17 student performers and is directed by Dr. Craig Hamilton, OBU’s
Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music and director of bands. The concert will introduce
vocal soloist Esther Atkinson, a freshman musical theatre major from Rogers, Ark.
The concert will also feature guest drum set soloist Dr. Chris Hanning, professor
of percussion at West Chester University. Hanning has performed throughout Europe
and the U.S. at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center
for the Performing Arts and Royal Albert Hall.
“I am very proud of the band and the progress they have made throughout the semester.
I think the audience will enjoy the program,” Hamilton said.
Band member Jason Potts, a sophomore music education major from Springdale, Ark.,
also noted the band’s growth over the course of the semester, saying, “The best part
about watching this program come together is hearing where we were on the first day
and how far we’ve come since then.” Additionally, he encouraged the community to take
advantage of this opportunity to enjoy a live jazz performance locally.
The concert will feature several styles of jazz music, including swing, funk, mambo,
latin and more.
The concert begins with swing selections “Stompin’ on a Riff” by David Berger, “Cotton
Tail” by Duke Ellington and “Take the ‘A’ Train” by Billy Strayhorn. The next selections
will be “Little Sunflower” by Freddy Hubbard, “The Defibrillator” by Adrien Re and
“Cold Duck Time” by Eddie Harris, followed by “C-Jam Blues (Ala Mambo!)” by Duke Ellington,
“On Green Dolphin Street” by Bronislau Kaper and “The Chacha What Gotcha” by Michael
Philip. The closing section will feature Atkinson on vocals for “Fly Me to the Moon”
by Bart Howard, “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim and “The Man I Love” by George
and Ira Gershwin.
The concert also will be streamed live at www.obu.edu/band. For more information, contact Dr. Craig Hamilton at [email protected] or (870) 245-5137.
By Clair Childers // Photo by Kelsey Bond
Jazz Band Personnel
- Esther Atkinson (vocal) – freshman musical theatre major from Rogers, Ark.
- Taylor Bascue (tenor saxophone) – sophomore Christian studies/biblical studies major from Riverton, Wyo.
- Nathan Bateman (tenor saxophone) –freshman instrumental music performance major from Perryville, Ark.
- Rachel Clifton (trombone) – freshman instrumental music education major from Alma, Ark.
- Winston Gentry (guitar) – freshman mass communications major from Houston, Texas
- Allison King (baritone saxophone) – senior music major from Fort Worth, Texas
- Dalton King (trombone) – sophomore instrumental music education major from Greenwood, Ark.
- Alexandra Lawson (trumpet) – junior accounting major from Texarkana, Texas
- Elizabeth Lawson (trumpet) – senior instrumental music education major from Texarkana, Texas
- Zhanxiu Lu (piano) – freshman music major from Shaoxing, China
- Justin Massey (bass) – junior instrumental music education major from Weatherford, Texas
- Jason Potts (trombone) – sophomore instrumental music education major from Springdale, Ark.
- Kayden Sosebee (bass trombone) – senior Christian studies/biblical studies and Christian studies/Christian theology major from Fort Smith, Ark.
- Blake Turner (trumpet) – freshman music major from Fort Worth, Texas
- Chelsea Villanueva (alto saxophone) – senior instrumental music performance major from Bentonville, Ark.
- Zack Willis (drums) – sophomore music major from Redfield, Ark.
- Weston Wills (piano) – sophomore instrumental music education major from Norphlet, Ark.
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