Crowder Jazz Orchestra performs at PSU

The Crowder Jazz Orchestra will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21, in the McCray Recital Hall at Pittsburg State University. The orchestra is under the direction of Todd Hastings, a member of the PSU Music Department faculty. Alan Hood, a trumpet professor at the University of Denver, will be the guest soloist for the performance.

The Crowder Jazz Orchestra was formed in the fall of 2005, Hastings said, and grew out of a love for traditional big band jazz music and a need for a community-based ensemble in the Camp Crowder community. The band’s personnel are comprised of community and professional musicians alike.

"The CJO has the ability to connect with audiences of all musical tastes and ages and often presents public concerts in tandem with educational outreach events," Hastings said.

Recent concerts by the orchestra have included performances at the Webb City Jazz Festival, Crowder College, and Missouri Southern State University. The ensemble's repertoire ranges from classic jazz standards to arrangements by today's leading big band composers and arrangers.

"The collective credentials of this ensemble are extraordinary," Hastings said.

Members of the group have performed with such luminaries as Joe Williams, Slide Hampton, Henry Mancini, Doc Severinsen, Aretha Franklin, Bernadette Peters, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Wayne Newton, Ben Vereen, The O’Jays, and many others.

For information, contact Hastings at 620-235-4485, thasting@pittstate.edu.

---Pitt State---