Department of Music presents ASU Jazz Bands Sept. 30

September 24, 2010 -- The Department of Music at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will present the ASU Jazz Bands in concert on Thursday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Fowler Center’s Riceland Hall. The ASU Jazz Bands are directed by Dr. Ron Horton. For the opening concert of the fall semester the Jazz Band and Lab Band will present a concert entitled “Jazz in the Middle.” This concert will feature jazz musicians whose roots and professional development occurred away from the coastal regions of the United States. “There is a lot of information on the music that comes from places like New York, Los Angeles, and New Orleans, but there are tremendous amounts of musicianship coming from all over the country,” says Horton. This concert will feature music of people like Indianapolis native Freddy Hubbard, Stan Kenton, who lived his early years in Wichita, Kansas, and Thad Jones, a native of Detroit, and of course no concert of jazz musicians from the middle of the country would be complete without the works of Kansas City’s adopted son, William “Count” Basie. We hope that you will join us as we celebrate these musicians. The concert is free of charge and open to the public.

Members of the ASU Lab Band are Zach Simmons of Sherwood, Shawn Crawford of Paragould, Cody Ballard of Jonesboro, Daniel Webb of Dexter, Mo., and Brittany Reese of Conway, saxophones; Adam Waddell of Jonesboro, Jonathon McAlister of Marion, Chris Smith of Paragould, and Brolin Brown of Sherwood, trombones; Andrew Webb of Dexter, Mo., Joseph Anderson of Jacksonville, Brandon Slatton of Jonesboro, and Robert Bajorek of Jacksonville, trumpets; Mauricio Dixon of Wynne, Alex Ditto of Hoxie, Garret Tyler of Jonesboro, Jon Odom and Matt Bounds of Poplar Bluff, Mo.; rhythm section.

Members of the ASU Jazz Band are Clinton Curtis of Trumann, Aaron Decker of Jonesboro, Michael Newson of Memphis,Tenn., Joseph Coffee of Benton, Mo., Larry Durham of Dexter, Mo., saxophones; Alex McClung of Trumann, Dustin Coles of Paragould, Devodre Hince of Jacksonville, Treavor Mitchell of Jonesboro, trombones; Joseph Curtis and Justin Holt of Trumann, Joe Stevens of Pocahontas, Eric Escue of Jonesboro, trumpets; Barrett Kelly of Walnut Ridge, Addison Boling, and Bryan Elder of Jonesboro, Evan Barwich of Poplar Bluff, Mo., rhythm section.

For more information about the concert or ASU music, contact the music office at (870) 972-2094.

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