LCC Jazz Band to play in free concert

By Chloe Gregg
Editor in Chief

The LCC Jazz Band is performing a special free concert Sunday, April 30 in collaboration with MSU Community Music School Jazz Band.

The concert will be held at the MSU Community Music School Auditorium, located at 4930 Hagadorn Road, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

“This concert will be shared with the MSU Community School Jazz Band under the direction of Tom Jones,” said Jonathan Gewirtz, director of the LCC Jazz Band. “I’m looking forward to both community bands sharing the stage and having this be the beginning to a new connection and relationship.”

Gewirtz has been the director of the LCC Jazz Band ever since 2001, but he said the band started long before his arrival. The jazz band meets every Wednesday night for about three hours to practice, and usually will perform one or two concerts every semester.

“The group consists of LCC students, community members and high school students,” Gewirtz said. “It is a really good mix of people with experience and people trying to gain experience.”

According to Gewirtz, anyone can be a member of the band, but they will have to first audition with Gewirtz. Anyone who might be interested can contact him at gewirtzj@lcc.edu.

Sunday’s concert will have a diverse music selection. According to Gewirtz, he approaches music with as much diversity as possible, including Latin, soul, funk, hip hop, swing, and more.

“This semester, some of our selections include music from Count Basie, Dexter Gordon, Thelonious Monk, Jaco Pastorius and Roy Hargrove,” Gewirtz said. “Keeping with the theme of diverse styles, I feel this concert will have something for everyone.

“One of our new charts is by the late great trumpeter Roy Hargrove, who recently passed away in 2018 at the age of 49.  It is a hip-hop infused tune called ‘Strasbourg/St. Denis.’”

For more information on the LCC Jazz Band concert, visit the website here.