It’s “big-band jazz times three” when the Mile High Jazz Band, Carson High Jazz Band, and Carson Middle School Jazz Band present the 13th annual combined concert, the Mile High-Carson High Jazz Extravaganza, at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St.
The Extravaganza is sponsored by the Mile High Jazz Band Association and the Carson City Band Association as a benefit for Carson School instrumental music programs. This year, funds will help send students to the Music in the Parks Festival in Vallejo, Calif., in May.
The Extravaganza will feature three big bands, vocalist Cindee LeVal, combo performances, and the traditional grand finale combining the forces of all the musicians.
“We’re so happy to perform with the high school and middle school jazz bands again,” said David Bugli, Mile High Jazz Band leader and pianist. “The student music ensembles are great, and they deserve community support.”
The Carson High Jazz Band attends and competes at jazz festivals each year and has performed at community events throughout Carson City. Directed by Bill Zabelsky, the band is a zero-hour class at Carson High School designed to teach students about jazz — the music that began in America and has spread throughout the world. The Carson Middle School Jazz Band is directed by Nick Jacques, who also plays tenor sax in Mile High Jazz Band.
The Mile High Jazz Band, a professional big-band, plays regularly in northern Nevada, including monthly performances and quarterly Jazz and Poetry events at Comma Coffee. The band presents the annual Jazz & Beyond: Carson City Music Festival in August.
This program is funded in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council. For more information, call Mile High Jazz Band at 775-883-4154, or go to MileHighJazz.com.
Tickets are $10 for general admission and free for youth ages 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance from Carson High and Carson Middle school music students, or at the Carson City Visitors Bureau, 716 N. Carson St., and at MileHighJazz.com. Refreshments and raffle prizes will be on sale in the lobby.
For information, call the Mile High Jazz Band at 775-883-4154.