Ouachita Stories

Ouachita Baptist University’s Jazz Band will present its fall concert on Monday, Nov. 23, in Jones Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

The band has been active on campus for more than 40 years and this year includes 20 students under the direction of Dr. Craig Hamilton, Ouachita’s Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music and director of bands.

“I love working with the students and watching them get excited about playing and learning the music,” Hamilton said. “They are doing a great job.”

Esther Atkinson, a sophomore musical theatre major from Rogers, Ark., will join the band as a vocal soloist. She will be singing Roger Holmes’ arrangement of “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” by Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern, “Cry Me a River” by Arthur Hamilton and another Holmes arrangement, “Feeling Good” by Leslie Bricusse and Antony Newley.

“The jazz band focuses on playing different styles in jazz and popular music,” Hamilton explained. “We will be playing tunes in swing, rock, Latin and popular styles.”

In addition to the songs featuring Atkinson, the Jazz Band will perform: Paul Baker’s “Roll with the Punches,” “Off the Hook” and “Honk” by Jeff Jarvis, “Backburner” by Carl Strommen, Marcus Wilcher’s “The Road Out West,” “Message from Westlake” by Mike Kamuf, Jerry Nowak’s arrangement of “The Jive Samba” by Nat Adderly, Bill Cunliffe’s arrangement of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by Cole Porter, “Arnge Drank” by Paul Baker, Dave Rivello’s arrangement of “Bye Bye Blackbird” by Mort Dixon and Ray Henderson and “Night of the Mojito” by Andrew Neu.

Hamilton said he anticipates the concert will be very entertaining and expects that audience members will “relate to the music being played.”

Student musicians performing in the fall 2015 Jazz Band concert are:

Saxophone—CJ Slatton, a freshman music education major from Paragould, Ark.; Sierra Westberg, a freshman music education major from Arkadelphia, Ark.; Andrew Martin, a sophomore theatre arts major from Hot Springs Village, Ark.; Morgan Taylor, a freshman music major from Hot Springs, Ark.; and Nathan Bateman, a sophomore music education major from Perryville, Ark.

Trumpet—Blake Turner, a sophomore music major from Fort Worth, Texas; Alexandra Lawson, a junior accounting major from Texarkana, Texas; Bradley Suffield, a freshman business administration major from Arkadelphia, Ark.; and Tyler Sanders, a freshman music major from Arkadelphia, Ark.

Trombone—Jason Potts, a junior music education major from Springdale, Ark.; Dalton King, a junior music education major from Greenwood, Ark.; Bryson Clegg, a freshman music education major from Malvern, Ark.; and Kayden Sosebee, a senior theology and biblical studies double major from Fort Smith, Ark.

Rhythm—Weston Wills, a junior worship arts major from Norphlet, Ark.; Zhanxiu Lu, a sophomore music major from Shaoxing, China; Justin Massey, a senior music education major from Weatherford, Texas; Zack Willis, a junior music major from Redfield, Ark.; and Brandon Lovelady, a junior music performance major from Hot Springs, Ark.

The concert also will stream live online at www.obu.edu/band. For more information about Ouachita’s Jazz Band, contact Dr. Craig Hamilton at [email protected] or (870) 245-5137.

 

By Ali Robinson // Photo by Kelsey Bond