Wharton County Junior College Band students rehearse for their upcoming concert, "The Legendary Big Bands," scheduled for 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, at the Horton Foote Theatre on the Wharton campus. Pictured are, foreground, left to right, Andresa Ortiz of El Campo, Hannah Almaraz of Needville, Carlos Garcia of Needville and Madison Breland of El Campo. Back row, left to right, are Tyler Clare of Palacios, Jeffrey Calhoun of Tidehaven and Patrick Laury of Rosenberg.
WHARTON, TEXAS – The Wharton County Junior College Jazz Band will focus on the 1940s and 1950s when presenting “The Legendary Big Bands.” The concert is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, at the Horton Foote Theatre in the Duson-Hansen Fine Arts Building on the Wharton campus. Show times are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public.
Not only will the music be upbeat and exciting, there will be a special guest performer who has not graced the stage with his musical talents in more than two decades – WCJC Band Director Joe Waldrop.
“For the first time in 20 years, I will be performing with the band to supplement instruments that we are lacking in,” Waldrop said. “The music is a blast to play, and we are having fun with it.”
The concert will feature songs from the Big Band era. Selections include “Opus One,” “Take Five,” “Tuxedo Junction,” and several others. The songs have a fast tempo and rhythm and Waldrop said the students have enjoyed the learning process. The band will perform several of these selections when they travel to Branson, Mo., in May.
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