It’s “big-band jazz times three” when the Mile High, Carson High School and Carson Middle School jazz bands present the 14th annual Mile High-Carson High Jazz Extravaganza.
The annual combined concert is returning to the Bob Boldrick Theater inside the Carson City Community Center at 7 p.m., Jan. 31
The program 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, directed by Bill Zabelsky, and the Carson Middle School Jazz Band, directed by Nick Jacques, attend and compete at jazz festivals each year and perform at community events throughout Carson City.
The bands are zero-hour classes designed to teach students about jazz — the music that began in America and spread throughout the world.
The annual concert is sponsored by the Mile High Jazz Band Association and the Carson City Band Association as a benefit for Carson City school instrumental music programs.
Admission is $10 and free for ages 18 and under. Refreshments and raffle prizes will be on sale in the lobby.
Buy tickets in advance from Carson High and Carson Middle school music students, or get them at the Carson City Visitors Bureau, 716 N. Carson St., online at MileHighJazz.com, or at the door.
Additionally, the Mile High Jazz Band Association is inviting high school instrumental musicians in Carson City to attend a jazz workshop from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Carson Middle School.
The free workshop is intended to inspire local students to participate in jazz band and incorporate music as a lifelong activity. Those who attend from Carson Middle School and Carson High School jazz bands can perform at the Extravaganza performance on Jan. 31.
The workshop will feature sessions on jazz rhythms, scales and chords, improvisation, and ensemble performance.
Tyler Cravines, Nat Kline and Jef Derderian will lead the sessions, assisted by members of the Mile High Jazz Band and other professional musicians.
For information and registration, contact Bugli at 775-883-4154 or email dcbugli@aol.com, or download the registration form at MileHighJazz.com.
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. It also presents the annual Jazz & Beyond Carson City Music Festival in August.
For information, call the Mile High Jazz Band at 775-883-4154, or go to MileHighjazz.com.