Jazz series ends with collaboration

The MAC Jazz series concludes with its annual Big Band Extravaganza tonight at 8 p.m. A collection of some of the most popular pieces from the swing era, the night promises to offer lively entertainment both for those who remember the original music and those who are only familiar with it through tradition. \nPeople should expect two bands performing on stage, with David Baker and Brent Wallarab covering swing music dating back to the mid 1930s. \nPopular works are highlighted throughout the program, which will open with the Glen Miller version of "St. Louis March" and close with the Benny Goodman version of "Sing, Sing, Sing." Five guest vocalists -- Rachel Caswell, Tyron Cooper, Chris Schleicher, Mellisa Benaleente and Joel Brainert -- will add their talents to favorites such as "It's Been a Long Time" and "At Last."\nRoland Barber, a trombonist and four-year veteran of the event, said all of the participants have been diligently rehearsing for the past four weeks. \n"(The hardest part has been) to stylistically recreate the music from what was heard in the '30s and '40s," Baber said. "Some people devalue it, but how far back you go affects how far forward you go." \nWhen the event began, Baker actually had students doing transcriptions off records, a method that continued two or three years. The event gradually garnered more popularity and stepped into the spotlight. In the late '70s, Baker began using two bands. \nBaker has chosen what he considers some of the top hits of the big band era -- which is a rather difficult task considering there is a roster of roughly 300 or so popular bands from the 1940s to pick from. Baker, however, is confident the performance will present "a wonderful smorgasbord that symbolizes the most important period in jazz."\nIf the students weren't already passionate enough about the music, working with Baker, who is award-winning performer, composer and educator who has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and Grammy, seems to excite them. Carolyn Dutton, a music student working on her master's, plays the violin in one of the pieces led by Baker.\n"He's great," she said. \nBarber agrees.\n"There is no educator who knows as much about the culture behind the music, about playing the music and the wisdom of understanding it," he said.\nTickets for the event can be purchased at the Musical Arts Center Box Office or through TicketMaster. General admission is $14; student admission is $8.