Jazz Festival arrives March 8

Posted on: Mar 6, 2018

Jazz Festival arrives March 8

Delano will be the jazz epicenter of the region on Thursday, March 8, when Delano Middle School hosts its 4th Annual Jazz Festival.
 
The day begins with a six-school lineup of middle school bands between 12:30 and 5:15 p.m., continues with a master class for students from 5:15 to 6 p.m., and concludes with a 7 p.m. concert by featured ensemble “The Wolverines Big Band” from Minneapolis.
 
The festival is open to the public, and all events before the Wolverines show are free. Tickets to see the Wolverines are $5 for students and $10 for adults. Tickets can be purchased in advance by contacting DMS band director Mike Dailey at 763.972-3365 ext. 3060, or mike.dailey@delanoschools.org. Tickets will also be available at the door. This will be a high energy concert you don’t want to miss!
 
The lineup
Delano students in grades 6-8 from the Tuesday Morning Jazz Band will perform at 4:30 p.m.
 
Other schools and their performance times include:
* 12:30 p.m. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
* 1:15 p.m. Rockford Middle School
* 2 p.m. Buffalo Community Middle School
* 3 p.m. Pioneer Ridge
* 3:45 p.m. Fridley
 
Clinicians will provide feedback after each performance, and students will have an additional learning opportunity during the evening master class.
 
About The Wolverines Big Band
The Wolverines Big Band, now in its 44th year, formed in 1973 and started out by performing transcriptions of music from the “hot” orchestras popular between World War I and II. House gigs in the early years included such Jazz Age nightspots like Scottie’s On Seventh, the Commodore, and Castle Royale.
 
They opened for Sarah Vaughan and Manhattan Transfer, and performed on the initial broadcasts of “A Prairie Home Companion.” Their first four albums received the coveted four-star review in Downbeat magazine. The ensemble even played Jimmy Carter’s Inaugural Ball.
 
Led by drummer Jendeen Forberg, The Wolverines Big Band continues to perform its matchless repertoire that includes the best of bands led by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson and more.