Ouachita Stories

The Ouachita Baptist University Jazz Band will present a concert on Tuesday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center on the Ouachita campus. The concert is free and open to the public. The concert will also be livestreamed on the OBU band webpage at www.obu.edu/band.

At the concert, the Jazz Band will perform numerous jazz and pop classics such as Mark Taylor’s arrangement of “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” by Stevie Wonder and Scott Ragsdale’s arrangement of “Everything” by Michael Bublé, Alan Chang and Amy Foster.

The band also will perform: “Strike Up the Band” by George and Ira Gershwin and arranged by Sammy Nestico; “Manteca” by Dizzy Gillespie, Walter Gil Fuller and Luciano Pozo Gonzales and arranged by Mike Tomaro; “Flow Chart” by Paul Baker; “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey and arranged by Sammy Nestico; “Bay Side Groovin’” by Michael Sweeney; “Across the Heart” by Dave Hanson; “Sonidos de la Calle” by Lars Halle; “God Bless the Child” by Arthur Herzog Jr. and Billie Holiday and arranged by Jerry Nowak; and “Critical Mass” by Jeff Jarvis.

The OBU Jazz Band is under the direction of Dr. Craig Hamilton, OBU’s Lena Goodwin Trimble Professor of Music, director of bands and chair of music education. The band features 23 Ouachita students. “I am excited about the Jazz Band program,” Dr. Hamilton said. “We have prepared a concert that features many styles of jazz, rock and Latin music. We will feature our two vocal soloists on ‘God Bless the Child,’ ‘You Are the Sunshine of My Life’ and ‘Everything.’ I know the audience will enjoy the music.”

“My favorite part of being in Jazz Band is the fun we have in rehearsals, making music together and inside jokes with one another!” said Sierra Westberg, a sophomore instrumental music education major from Arkadelphia, Ark., who plays alto saxophone in the band. “It’s a great, relaxed environment that helps me de-stress in the middle of the day.”

Jazz Band members include: On the saxophone are C.J. Slatton (alto), Sierra Westberg (alto), Austin Clements (alto), Andrew Lockhart (tenor), Andrew Martin (tenor), Morgan Taylor (baritone) and Haley Reed (baritone). Playing trombone are Jason Potts, Cayli Campbell, Bryson Clegg and Rachel Clifton (bass). On trumpet are Blake Turner, Alexandra Lawson, Justin Trostle and Tyler Sanders. In the rhythm section are Weston Wills (piano), Johnathan Miles (piano), Caleb Smith (bass), Beaux Schmidt (guitar), Brandon Lovelady (drums) and Zack Willis (drums). The Jazz Band also features two vocalists, Kayla Walker and Esther Atkinson.

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

 

By Hannah Hines

March 16, 2017