“Jazz Night” concert features CC Contemporary Singers and Jazz Ensemble

The Casper College Contemporary Singers and the Casper College Jazz Ensemble will headline this year’s “Jazz Night” concert Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Wheeler Concert Hall.

Popular songs to be performed at the concert include “Autumn Leaves,” “When I Fall in Love,” “Candy,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “String of Pearls,” and more.

“Autumn Leaves” is considered one of the most enduring standards in both vocal and instrumental jazz repertoires. A midcentury ballad, “When I Fall in Love,” first popularized in the early 1950s, has become a staple in the jazz and pop vocal lexicon. Originally a swing-era tune recorded by artists like Nat King Cole and Big Maybelle, “Candy” is reimagined here with bright voicings and tight rhythmic interplay, according to Joshua R. Mietz, DMA.

Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” a folk-pop anthem with enduring sociopolitical relevance, will receive a fresh treatment at the concert, blending a contemporary jazz vocal aesthetic with its folk roots. “Closing the program is a classic swing-era tune made famous by the Glenn Miller Orchestra and reworked by the Stan Kenton Orchestra,” said Mietz. “‘A String of Pearls’ is full of charm, bounce, and nostalgia, with its memorable melody and danceable rhythm. Gene Roland’s arrangement keeps the big band tradition alive and sparkling.”

Members of the Casper College Contemporary Singers, under the direction of Zachary Vreeman, DMA, include Kaylee Christensen, Ariel Grange, Emma Gustaf, Olivia Judkins, Kevin Kaske, Owen LaCount, Willow McKin, Ashton Rosburg, Lindsey Scott, and Eva Vreeman.

Mietz conducts the Casper College Jazz Ensemble. Members of the ensemble include Toby Clouser on soprano and alto saxophone; Aidan Murphy, Dylan Mazzanti, and Cohen Hayes on tenor saxophone; Will Weader on baritone saxophone; Ozzy Ness on trumpet; Jackson Richard, Morgan Cunningham, Ken Miech, and Connor Roper on trombone; and in the rhythm section, Liam Greene and Milo Jacobs on piano, and Tre Weant, Skylar Gilmore, and Jim Kassler on bass.

“Jazz Night” is free to the public. The Wheeler Concert Hall is in the Music Building on the Casper College campus.

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