MC Jazz Band to bring popular spring performances to Entergy Theater, Olde Towne Clinton

The 26-piece MC Jazz Band is scheduled to perform indoors at the Entergy Theater and outdoors on the Brick Streets of Olde Towne Clinton.

Fans of America’s original improvisational musical art form will find plenty to enjoy during a pair of upcoming performances by the Mississippi College Jazz Band.

The 26-piece orchestra will take the Entergy Theater stage at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, for its annual Spring Concert at the Gore Arts Complex on MC’s East Campus. Then at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 4, the band will move to the corner of Jefferson Street and West Leake Street in Olde Towne Clinton, where it will perform under a lighted canopy as part of the Brick Street Concert Series. Both events are free and open to the public.

MC’s Jazz Band consists of seven saxophones (three alto, two tenor and two baritone), six trumpets, five trombones, two pianos, two bass, two guitars, two drummers and one singer.

“Each year I’m always impressed with the development of both the group as a whole and the individuals as they begin to understand the different styles and jazz expression,” said Wayne Linehan, a retired member of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra who has directed the band for more than a decade. “It’s also enjoyable to hear those students who choose to improvise and hear their growth as they develop their improvisational skills.”

He said the semester concert will include a mix of tunes designed to teach various jazz styles.

“In presenting various styles, we hope there will be something the audience can enjoy as well as open them up to new styles of music they may not have heard. The pieces selected are intended to range from loud and exciting to soft and serene, in-your-face to just plain pretty.”

Selections will include swing, samba, ballad, jazz waltz, contemporary jazz and funk.

“Besides learning different jazz styles, there are tunes which give opportunities for students to improvise if they like over chord changes,” he said.

The Brick Street Concert Series performance will be comprised of two 50-minute sets featuring selections from the Spring Concert and favorites from the previous year’s concert. Attendees are encouraged to bring their seats and set up in the brick streets, which will be closed for the event.

Duval Salvant, MC director of bands, said the Brick Street Concert is one of the MC Jazz Band’s most popular performances.

“It’s always been really well attended,” Salvant said. “We’ve had about 7,500 people show up to sit in lawn chairs on the brick streets, enjoy the spring weather and listen to the beautiful music.”

For more information about the MC Jazz Band’s Spring Concert at the Entergy Theater or the Brick Streets Concert Series performance, visit music.mc.edu/events.