Jazz legend to play in Bloomington

Jazz legend Bob Dorough, who has been playing since the 1950s and is well-known for his work in the early 1970s with ABC's "Schoolhouse Rock," will bring his talents to Bloomington in a performance with artist Janet Lawes at 7:30 p.m. today at the Bloomington High School North auditorium, 3901 N. Kinser Pike.\nThe two will be accompanied by Jazz from Bloomington, a 2-year-old organization that invited Dorough and Lawes to perform.\nBoth said they are looking forward to performing in Bloomington. They worked together before at a jazz festival in Tennessee and in a jazz group called ImproVocals.\nDorough and Lawes will be the main vocalists with Jazz from Bloomington providing instrumental accompaniment.\nMonica Hurzich, a member of Jazz from Bloomington, said she is excited about the show.\n"I want to introduce a new audience to vocal jazz," she said.\nHurzich said Jazz from Bloomington has been planning to bring Dorough and Lawes to town for more than a year. The society has about 150 members and Hurzich said they usually hold concerts at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.\nThe performance will be nothing new for Dorough, who said he has been playing jazz since middle school.\nHe joined his high school band at the request of the band director in his hometown of Plainview, Texas. After high school, Dorough said he decided to become a musician, leaving for New York's big band scene.\nDorough served in World War II, coming back to Texas in 1945 to attend North Texas State Teacher's College, where he earned a degree in composition.\n"You can really express your personality," he said of jazz music. "You can improvise."\nDorough said he has worked with several jazz legends during his career, including Sugar Ray Robinson, Count Bassie and Louis Armstrong.\nIn the early 1970s, Dorough was commissioned to write music for "Schoolhouse Rock." For the next 12 years, Dorough wrote songs such as "My Hero Zero" and "Conjunction Junction."\nDorough said this opportunity endeared him to a young generation that still remembers his voice.\n"I really enjoyed it," he said of the show. "I could communicate with young people."\nDorough said he has no intention of retiring and has recently made a new CD, "Too Much Coffee Man," produced by Blue Note Records.\nHe also teaches in the music department at Pennsylvania's East Stroudsburg University.\nLawes, a native of Baltimore, said she became interested in jazz at the age of 15.\n"My parents were both musicians," Lawes said. "I came into the world through music."\nAt a high school dance, Lawes requested to sing with the band.\nAfter performing with them for three hours, she was offered a job.\nAt 19, she went to New York and became involved with the jazz scene. She sang with Village Vanguard and the Art Farmers Quintet. Lawes cites one of her most memorable experiences as when she sang with Duke Ellington.\nLawes said she sees jazz as a teacher and is a teacher herself. She taught jazz music to children in Latvia with a program called Jazz Journey and is currently teaching at New York's New School, New York University, and City College, New York.\n"Improvisation is the wisest teacher," Lawes said. "It teaches me to live in the moment."\nTickets are $18 general admission and $16 for students and seniors.