Jazz Concert Presented in Whippany

A free midwinter program of jazz will be presented by the Hanover Wind Symphony and  the Memorial Junior School Viking Jazz Band on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m., at the Memorial Junior School, 61 Highland Ave., Whippany.

Matthew Paterno of Parsippany, musical director and conductor of the Hanover Wind Symphony (HWS), will join with Tracy Currie of Summit, advisor for the Memorial Junior School Viking Jazz Band, for the event, "All That Jazz!"

Among the pieces to be performed at the concert are: selections from Chicago, arranged by Ted Ricketts;  Starlight Memories by Darren Jenkins; The American Jazz Suite by Allen Vizzutti, with John Schumacher of Succasunna, Hanover Wind Symphony trumpet soloist; Shuffle Down to Memphis, performed by the Memorial Junior School Jazz Band, together with HWS soloists; Big Band Classics by Eric Osterling, and Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael, with Christine Paterno of Parsippany, soprano saxophone soloist

While the concert is free, donations will be welcome for both the Hanover Wind Symphony and the Memorial Junior School Viking Jazz Band.

For more than 25 years, the Hanover Wind Symphony has played in and around Morris County. The symphony thrives on sharing the enjoyment of music with live audiences, and helps mentor the next generation of wind musicians. The symphony’s president is Phil Hughes of Whippany. The musical director and conductor is Matthew Paterno of Parsippany. Associate conductor is Kurt Zimmermann of Rockaway.

The Hanover Wind Symphony, which received a 2011 Local Arts Grant from the Arts Council of the Morris Area, serves the community by playing marches, toe-tappers, and standards while also presenting pieces written by current active composers, some of whom are members of the ensemble. The group provides a platform to showcase world-class artists, among them Joseph Alessi and Philip Smith of the New York Philharmonic; Patrick Sheridan, one of the world’s most famous tuba players; Steven Meade, world-renowned euphonium soloist and recording artist; and Dr. Paul Cohen, the world’s premier classical alto saxophone player.

The Memorial Junior School Viking Jazz Band is currently in its 13th year under the direction of Tracy Currie. An audition group, open up to any seventh- or eighth-grader who is in the band program and plays a jazz instrument, the band is a teaching tool for basic jazz rhythms and articulations, and prepares them for the Whippany Park Jazz program.

For further information about the Hanover Wind Symphony or the Feb. 22 "All That Jazz!" concert, visit www.hanoverwinds.org.