PORT ANGELES, WA. – The Peninsula College Jazz Ensemble will host their Winter Quarter Concert on Tuesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. in Maier Performance Hall on the Port Angeles campus.
The free concert will feature Robbin Eaves on vocals backed by a 15-piece jazz band, featuring five woodwinds, seven brass, and a full rhythm section.
The band will perform music from the repertoire of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, Charlie Parker, John Scofield, Daniel Barry, a couple of new originals by ensemble director David P. Jones
Eaves, accompanied by a smaller version of the band, will offer songs from the repertoire of Nat King Cole, Elvis Costello, and Emmylou Harris.
“I am particularly excited about one of the songs Robbin has chosen; ‘This Will Make You Laugh’ by the under-represented African-American composer/pianist, Irene Higginbotham,” Jones said. “Miss Higginbotham, kept out of the spotlight largely because of her race and gender – and because so many of her great songs were composed when she was quite young – deserves more recognition.”
The song the ensemble will perform was written when the composer was just 23. It was recorded by Nat King Cole, Carmen McCrae, and Marvin Gaye among many others.
“She is officially listed as the composer of over 50 published songs, but probably wrote many more that were unpublished, or published under male pseudonyms,” Jones said.
The band’s performers represent some of the very best jazz that the North Olympic Peninsula has to offer. From Port Angeles are Kevin MacCartney (tenor sax), Dick “Doc” Thorson (tenor sax), Jim Bradbury (trumpet), Joel Ricci (trumpet), Ken Young (trombone) and David Jones (keyboards/director). Sequim provides Jayne Morrison (alto sax), Anton Hilmisson (alto sax), Dan James (trumpet), Jeff Dingle (trombone), Tom Hartig (trombone), Terry Smith (drums) and Kendall Melton (bass) while John Adams (alto sax + alto clarinet + bass clarinet) hails from Port Townsend and Dan Powell (trombone) makes the twice weekly trek from Marrowstone Island.
For more information, contact Dr. Jones at (360)-417-6405 or at djones@pencol.edu.
