CELEBRATION of the “HISTORY OF JAZZ”

By Ken Plummer

On Sunday(2//16/20) at 4 p.m., at the Dillard High School of the Performing Arts auditorium, I attended a DCA Jazz Ensemble performance entitled “HISTORY OF JAZZ”.

The performance started with a video and narration that provided a historical chronology of the beginning and evolution of jazz music in America. After the video the jazz ensemble proceeded to play for the disappointingly sparse audience music that reflects the various styles and types of jazz that led to the current expression of this AMAZING music.

The band began with ragtime by playing music by Scott Joplin. The program moved into the Ellington era then to a part of the program called “Ladies of Song”. Band leader Dorsey confided that if there are “ladies” of song, there must also be Men of song. So, like the female vocalist, a male student and jazz vocalist BEAUTIFULLY sang a popular selection entitled “Fly Me To The Moon”.

The program then moved into the Bebop era, that was dominated by jazz greats like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and so many others.

Then the program moved into the “smooth jazz” era and ended with what is referred to by many aficionados as jazz ‘funk’. The school called the program a CELEBRATION of the “HISTORY OF JAZZ” and, daggummit, the Dillard Center for the Arts jazz ensemble DELIVERED…BIG TIME!!!