Yorkton’s All That Jazz Big Band held an evening playing their favourite hits Thursday.
The evening, held at St. Mary’s Cultural Centre saw the band play 23 familiar pieces ranging from ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ a 1949 release by Brother Bones to Adele’s 2012 Skyfall.
The music of Frank Sinatra was also featured with five of his songs on the playlist.
Enhancing the band’s performance were vocals provided by a trio of singers.
Craig Read in his first public performance sang The Guess Who’s 1969 classic Undun.
Then the tandem of Kelsey Kuz and Rob Zerr took over, each performing a number of songs.
Zerr, who farms in the Langenburg area, has enjoyed singing since his earliest childhood memories. Over the years he has been a part of many vocal groups from Barbershop Quartets to vocal jazz, to musical theater, noted the program,
Kuz is a graduate from the University of Regina’s Music Education Program and grew up fully immersed in the Regina music community. Kelsey began taking singing lessons at a young age and has participated in several choirs, bans, and musical productions. She has worked as a voice instructor in Regina before accepting the position of Band and Choral Director at the Yorkton Regional High School in September of 2016, sated the program.
All That Jazz Big Band performs under the direction of Larry Pearen. The band started in 1999, features members from Yorkton and region who enjoy performing a variety of music, from swing band, rock tunes, movie themes, to jazz.
Also from the program, Pearen himself is a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan and University of Regina is the founding Director of both the Community Concert and Jazz Bands. Prior to his retirement, Pearen was responsible for all bands at the Yorkton Regional High School where his school bands travelled extensively throughout Canada and the United States performing. Pearen is a past president of the Canadian Band Association, and the Saskatchewan Band Association being presented the CBA National Band Award and Honorary Life Membership for his work and leadership with bands in Canada. In 2017 he was awarded the Canada 150 MP Community Builder medal and selected Citizen of the Year by Yorkton This Week.
