2008 Woodie Awards
Festival to feature 'great jazz'
Doug Graham
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Front Page
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"There's stuff going on literally all day both at Memorial (Auditorium) and on campus," said Bob Kehle, professor in music.
More than 65 student groups from school districts including Kansas City, Wichita and Cherokee in Kansas and Webb City Carthage, and Diamond in Missouri will perform at the festival. Band judging will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7.
Competitions will be held at three locations: Pittsburg's Memorial Auditorium, McCray Hall and the Overman Student Center on the campus of PSU.
All told, about 1,500 students will be on campus for the competition.
"It's big," Kehle said. "What some of the judges have been telling me is that it's one of the bigger one-day events out there."
Breaking up the day of competition will be a PSU jazz concert starting at 7:30 p.m., at which the PSU Jazz Band will open for Jon Faddis and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble at Memorial Auditorium.
Faddis and the Chicago Jazz Ensemble had been scheduled to perform at last year's festival but had to cancel because of bad weather.
Kehle says Faddis' performance will be a chance for students to see a truly world-class musician.
"He's an incredible trumpet player," Kehle said. "Everybody has heard him because he's on numerous soundtracks and jingles and all kinds of things. He's one of the top ten jazz trumpeters in the world, and that is not an exaggeration."
But Kehle says there will be plenty of "great jazz" on tap beyond Faddis. High-schoolers will perform all day in McCray Recital Hall.
"Everything during the day from 8 to 5:30 is free," Kehle said. "People can drop in and listen and wander out."
While students are invited to come and watch the performances, he requests that they be quiet and respectful.
"The nice thing for PSU students and the Pittsburg community is it gives them the opportunity to hear great jazz, and some of that is made possible by the competition itself," Kehle said, adding that the Student Government Association, Memorial Auditorium, and the Performing Arts and Lecture Series also helped pay for the performers.
Tickets for the evening concert are $12 for adults and $10 for those over 65 or 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased by calling Kehle at 235-4474 or the PSU Ticket Office at 235-4796.
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