Wind and Jazz Ensembles to Perform Oct. 19 in Overbrook

MCC Jazz Ensemble in Concert

The Muskegon Community College Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble will perform on Wednesday, October 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Overbrook Theater. The event is free and open to the public.

The Wind Ensemble, directed by Daniel M. Meyers, will perform four selections. Following a brief intermission, the Jazz Ensemble, directed by Tim Froncek, will play three pieces.

The concert will take on little different approach.  Before, between and after a number the audience will be encouraged to ask questions.  Many concerts are preceded by a talk from the conductor.  This format will offer the concert-goers the opportunity to have questions answered during the concert.

“As an educational institution we must always have learning at the forefront of what we do and what better way than to have a constant open dialogue about our discipline as it ‘plays’ out in front of the audience,” explained Meyers.

The Wind Ensemble will perform:

  • “Chester” by William Schuman. The third movement of Schuman’s orchestral composition “New England Triptych,” this work is subtitled “Three Pieces for Orchestra after William Billings.” Perhaps Billings’ best known tune, “Chester” was originally a church hymn that was adopted by the Continental Army during the American Revolution as a marching song.
  • “King Cotton” by John Phillip Sousa. A military march composed in 1895 by John Philip Sousa, for the Cotton States and International Exposition. The expression “King Cotton,” in general, refers to the historically high importance of cotton as a cash crop in the southern United States.
  • “Salvation is Created” by Pavel Tchesnokov.  A choral work composed by Pavel Tchesnokov in 1912, it was one of the very last sacred works he wrote before he was forced to turn to secular arts by the Soviet government. Originally published in 1913 by J. Fischer and Brothers, the work’s popularity drove editors to produce many different versions in both Russian and English.
  • Selections from “Phantom of the Opera” by Andrew Lloyd Webber arr. By Warren Barker. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical sensation brings us some of the most moving and dramatic moments ever to hit Broadway. “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest running show in Broadway history, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The Jazz Ensemble selections are:

  • “In a Mellow Tone” by Duke Ellington.  A 1939 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Milt Gabler. The song was based on the 1917 standard “Rose Room” by Art Hickman and Harry Williams.  It’s a perfect example of how Duke could take the chord changes of an old standard, write a simple riff…and then spice it up with great solos.
  • “Low Rider” by War. Released in 1975 by the American funk band War, the song reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. According to the All Music Guide review, “the lyric takes the cool image of the low rider — the Chicano culture practice of hydraulically hot-rodding classic cars — and using innuendo, extends the image to a lifestyle.” The song’s most distinguishable feature is its driving bass line.
  • “Blues in Hoss’ Flat” by Frank Foster. Count Basie band member Frank Foster wrote the magnificent “Blues in Hoss’ Flat” for Basie. The tune, also known as “Blues in Frankie’s Flat,” was played and recorded by Basie throughout his career, including notable performances with Sammy Davis, Jr. and Duke Ellington.