3 Carson bands perform at Jazz Extravaganza

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 16th annual combined Jazz Extravaganza concert at 7 p.m. March 19 in the Bob Boldrick Theater at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William St., Carson City. The Extravaganza 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.

Tickets prices are $10 general admission and free for youth age 18 and younger. Tickets can be purchased in advance from Carson High and Carson Middle School music students at the Nevada Day Office, 716 N. Carson St., online at www.milehighjazz.com or at the door. In addition to tickets, ads in the concert program are available beginning at $30 for one-eighth page. For information, call the Mile High Jazz Band at 775-883-4154.

This year, the Extravaganza will feature three big bands, vocalist Jakki Ford and an intergenerational combo performance. The traditional grand finale, combining the forces of all the musicians, will be “A Little Blues, Please” by Sammy Nestico. Refreshments and raffle prizes will be on sale in the lobby.

“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. “These award-winning student ensembles are impressive and 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 Mile High Jazz Band, a professional big-band, plays regularly in Northern Nevada, including monthly performances and quarterly Jazz and Poetry events in Carson City. They present the annual Jazz and Beyond: Carson City Music Festival each August.

This concert is funded in part by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council. For information, call Mile High Jazz Band at 775-883-4154 or see www.milehighjazz.com.