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If you’re a fan of jazz music from the swing era, then you’ve got some big decisions to make over the next 24 hours. Turns out that not only is world-class vibes man Lionel Hampton in town, but so is the Count Basie Orchestra, which will perform 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hampden Academy.
Under the direction of trombonist Grover Mitchell, the orchestra is considered one of the few big-name groups that can still live up to its original spark. The road band of 18 members performs in big venues — such as Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., where it will be next weekend — as well as high schools, colleges and clubs.
“We do a lot of high schools during the school year,” says Dee Askew, vice president and genereal manager for the world famous orchestra. “It’s not unusual. There’s an educational aspect to the band.”
And that’s what piqued the interest of Hampden Academy band man Patrick Michaud, a teacher of instrumental music and director of the school’s jazz bands.
“The main priority is for kids to hear a group of this caliber,” says Michaud, who splits his teaching time between Hampden Academy and Wagner Middle School in Winterport. “It’s also a public service thing — an opportunity for people in the Bangor area to hear one of the world’s greatest jazz ensembles.”
After Michaud booked the show back in the fall, he began educating his young students about Count Basie, the pianist-composer who rose to fame in the 1930s with the Benny Moten Orchestra. Eventually, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, which was one of the leading bands of the swing era. Except for a brief interruption in the 1950s, Basie led the band until his death in 1984. (Local audiences may remember when the Count Basie Orchestra performed in the Bangor area just before his death, but, when the Count took ill and had to be hospitalized, the legendary Cab Calloway filled in for him.)
With 100 students in the band program and another 100 in the choral program — and all born around the early 1980s, Michaud has been busy spreading the word about the Count.
“We are all really excited because it’s not something that happens that often in Maine or in Hampden,” says 16-year-old Jenna Pitula, a sophomore who plays bass guitar for the jazz band. “It’s a good opportunity for us to listen to their style and incorporate it into what we do.”
Her classmate, Patt Bolin, who is also 16 and plays jazz sax, agrees.
“In the history of jazz, Count Basie has definitely played a large part in creating the big band sound,” says Bolin.
The concert is a costly event, says Michaud, and if there’s any money left over from ticket sales, it will go into buying new uniforms for the school band members. A few local businesses, including Pat’s Pizza and Northern Kingdom Music, have donated services. But the rest of the responsibilities have fallen to Michaud and his students.
“One of the reasons we kept the ticket prices low was to make sure everybody could come, but also to raise the chances of selling out,” says Michaud. “Seeing Count Basie for eight bucks is a deal.”
The Count Basie Orchestra will perform 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hampden Academy. Tickets are on sale at the door and at Pat’s Pizza in Hampden. For information, call 862-4962.
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