The Jazz Festival

By Danielle Dodson

Stemming from a slang term coined in 1915 in Chicago, Illinois, the musical genre of “Jazz” has revolutionized the way popular music is written for over 100 years. Forming its own nationwide sub-cultures, Jazz began with roots from the Southern states, eventually incorporating sounds from West Africa and Europe.

On Saturday, Feb. 13, Missouri Western will be celebrating this movement in the Potter Hall Theater by holding its fourth Annual Jazz Festival. The festival will highlight eight middle school and high school bands during this day long event. This is a competition free event, although the performances will be critiqued.

Bob Long, director of jazz studies and coordinator of woodwinds, feels that this is a better approach to education and improvement than a competition.

‘’The festival’s main focus is jazz education,’’ Long said. ‘’It’s a way for students and jazz programs to receive constructive criticism on ways to improve. It brings people on campus and exposes what we have to offer here.”

The schools featured are: Benton High School, Central High School, Harrisonville High School, Park Hill High School, Smith-Cotton High School, Tina-Avalon Middle School and Winnetonka High School. The event will come to a close at 5 p.m. with a performance by Western’s own Jazz lab band. Missouri Western Sophomore Wesley Enyeart, who will be performing at the festival and has been playing for ten years, expresses his hopes for the event.

“I hope to do well and show that not only is jazz a complicated music style but it can also be fun and expressive,” Enyeart said. “I think Missouri Western choose to be in it because it is a bettering experience. The more you play, the better you get.”

Make sure to stop by and support these local musical education programs as they learn, mature and gain experience all while playing some enjoyable swingin’ music.