Area residents can listen to a Christmas concert of smooth and spirited holiday music and jazz classics performed by the Putnam City North jazz choir and the jazz bands of all three district high schools at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17, in the auditorium at Capps Middle School, 4020 N. Grove.
Admission to Putnam City’s Fourth Annual Holiday Jazz Festival is free with the donation of canned or
non-perishable food that will be donated to the Regional Food Bank to help area families in need during the holiday season.
The 1:30 on a Saturday start time for the concert makes it perfect for busy Christmas shoppers who want a short break from jam-packed malls and gridlocked roads and parking lots.
“Things can get a little hectic out there. Listening to these talented musicians play will remind you why Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year,” says Edward Hudson, band director at Putnam City West.
The bands will perform holiday favorite such as Winter Wonderland, Have Yourself a Merry Christmas and I’ll Be Home for Christmas, and will also play jazz classics such as Greensleeves, All of Me and Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.
The guest artist for the concert is Dr. Tommy Poole, director of Jazz Studies and assistant professor of music at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. Poole, a saxophonist, has performed or recorded with such luminaries as Rosemary Clooney, Eartha Kitt, Marilyn McCoo, Maynard Ferguson, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Diane Schuur, Maureen McGovern and Mercer Ellington. He has composed and arranged works for a variety of settings from commercial show bands to jazz big bands to full-sized studio orchestras.
In addition to performing at the holiday jazz festival, Poole will work with district jazz band students all day Friday and Saturday morning.
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For More Information
Steve Lindley, Communications Director
(405) 495-5200, x1204
(405) 812-6119
slindley@putnamcityschools.org