'Swing' through the 2010 holidays with Purdue jazz bands
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Holiday "comfort music" in the form of seasonal favorites made famous by Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller, The Andrews Sisters and others will fill the "Holiday Cheer & All That Jazz" concert Friday (Dec. 10) by Purdue's four jazz bands.
The Purdue Jazz Band, American Music Repertory Ensemble, Lab Jazz Band and Concert Jazz Band all will perform at the free concert at 8 p.m. in Stewart Center's Loeb Playhouse.
Preceding the concert is "Tuba Christmas," an annual event where tubists and euphonium players offer low brass versions of holiday tunes. The 30-minute show begins at 7 p.m. and will also take place in Loeb Playhouse. Admission is free.
From "Button Up Your Overcoat" and "Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" to "Home for the Holidays" and "Christmas Time is Here," band director M.T. "Mo" Trout says Purdue's jazz ensembles will present a true holiday "swingalong."
"All the tunes on the concert have really been re-imagined in the swing style," Trout says. "Some are big band swing while others are more contemporary. But they're all still classic swing. "
Fans of the 1940s big band sound will particularly enjoy the "Glenn Miller Yuletide Medley," presented in the style of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Christmas icons will be saluted with "Frosty the Snowman" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."
Veteran vocalists Joel Benson and Caitlin Cotton, along with the Purdue Jazz Choir, will be featured throughout the event. Decked out in leis, the singers will perform "Mele Kalikimaka," the Hawaiian Christmas song made famous by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters. Crosby's signature version of "Jingle Bells" will also be featured.
Exploring other facets of the season, the Purdue Jazz Band will perform a "Hanukkah Medley" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve." They will also play a Chet Bauch arrangement of "The Man with the Bag." Bauch is a Purdue alumnus who went on to teach at Ohio State University.
The evening is designed to be carefree and family friendly.
"By not charging admission, Purdue Bands has always considered this concert our gift to the community in a season where dollars never go as far as dreams," says Bands publicist Kathy Matter.
Seating for the event is on a first-come basis, with Loeb Playhouse opening up after the conclusion of Tuba Christmas.
"Holiday Cheer" is the last jazz concert of the Purdue Bands & Orchestra fall 2010 season. For information on the January 2011 Purdue Jazz Festival and upcoming jazz events in 2011, visit www.purdue.edu/bands
Source: Kathy Matter, 765-496-6785kcmatter@purduebands.edu