Nine years ago, the band program, led by educator Mark Cashin, has provided the Gibbons community with an annual Winter Jazz Concert to kick off the holiday season. This year the performance will be held Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the main stage theater. 

With the combined force of the Gibbons Jazz Orchestra Band and 1909 Band, there are more than 40 students participating in the event. Each of the students have been preparing for the concert since the beginning of the school year to give their best showing for the Gibbons community. 

This particular concert is a special opportunity for many to come support the event because it is performed closer to the end of the school day rather than later in the evening like most of the other band concerts. This gives students and educators who typically can not attend late evening events the ability to come watch. 

Throughout the concert a diverse multitude of jazz styles will be represented in the performance including traditional blues, bossa nova, rock and fusion, and various tempos of swing. Some of the popular songs that will be performed include Vehicle, It’s Only a Paper Moon, Cotton Tail, The Heat’s On, and I Remember Clifford. 

I Remember Clifford is one of the more unique and heartfelt songs that will be played as it was composed in loving memory of a jazz musician who passed away in a car crash. As a trumpet player before his death, the song will be played by a solo trumpet and jazz ensemble.  

Overall, the Winter Jazz concert is a great opportunity for those wanting to enjoy an entertaining display of music and holiday spirit to do so alongside our Gibbons community. 

“We hope the audience hears the beauty of jazz and goes away feeling enriched by their time watching and listening to our students’ performance,” said Cashin.

Looking ahead, the Gibbons Music Department has many more concerts and performances that we should look out for in the near future. Please come out and support them if you’re at all interested in the fine arts here at Gibbons. 

Guitar Ensembles: Wednesday, December 4 at 4 pm in the Studio Theatre

Vocal Music & Wind Ensemble: Tuesday, December 10 at 7 pm in the Main Stage Theatre

String Orchestra: Wednesday, December 11 at 6:30 pm in the Main Stage Theatre

Symphonic Band & Percussion Ensembles: Thursday, December 12 at 7 pm in the Main Stage Theatre