PORT ANGELES — “All the Things You Are” from Jerome Kern. “Attitude Dance” from Kupka and Castillo.
“Here’s That Rainy Day” with local vocalist Robbin Eaves singing and, from David P. Jones of Peninsula College, a little something called “SambaVera.”
Those are a few selections from the first half of the Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble concert, an event that’s open to the public at the campus’ acoustically excellent venue, Maier Performance Hall, this Tuesday.
Admission to this night of music: Free.
The 20-piece outfit will step up at 7 p.m. in the hall on the southeastern side of Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
The players, who come from all over the North Olympic Peninsula map and across the age spectrum, do not limit themselves to any one sound.
“Jazz is not just your grandpa’s music. It is a living, breathing art form that encompasses so many styles,” said Jones, the bandleader and head of the college’s music department.
“Just on this concert we play [Count] Basie, Miles Davis, Monk, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, Jerome Kern and two of my latest compositions,” he added.
“The grooves and the individual approaches to soloing should provide plenty of variety.
“And we are playing some pretty fierce arrangements,” including Mike Tomaro’s treatment of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s “Four” and the Van Heusen-de Lange tune “Darn That Dream.”
The second half of the show brings Thelonious Monk’s “Well, You Needn’t,” Neal Hefti’s “Flight of the Foo Birds,” “You Turned the Tables on Me” from the Ella Fitzgerald songbook, and Jones’ own “Reunion.”
“Christmas Time Is Here” from Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown Christmas” and the traditional “O Tannenbaum” round out the evening.
With Jones on piano and Eaves on vocals, the jazz ensemble’s horn section has Sanford Feibus, Ron Daylo and Bonnie Booth on trombones; Bob Hagan, Michael Ehr and Dave Hinton on trumpets and flugelhorns and Tyler Benedict on bass trombone.
Bringing a variety of saxophones are Andy Geiger, Robert Bailey, Richard “Doc” Thorson and Lorenzo Jones, while Kevin MacCartney plays tenor sax and flute and John Adams alto sax and clarinet.
Cole Gibson is the guitarist while Jones handles the pianos, both electric and acoustic. John Sanders comes from Quilcene to play bass. Furnishing drums and percussion for it all are Tor Brandes, Mike Mills and Nicia Pfeffer.
These performers, Jones said, “represent some of the very best jazz that the North Olympic Peninsula has to offer.”
For information about Tuesday’s free concert and the Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble, contact Jones at djones@pencol.edu or 360-417-6405 or visit pencol.edu.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
