'Tonight Show' legend to perform at IU

Jazz legend Doc Severinsen of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" fame will perform with his big band at 8 p.m. tonight at the IU Auditorium.\nFor 30 years, from 1962 to 1992, Severinsen participated in "The Tonight Show" band, first as a lead trumpeter and later as musical director for the show. \nHowever, Severinsen's musical career started much early. Born in 1927 in the small town of Arlington, Ore., Severinsen began to take an interest in music after watching his father, Carl Severinsen. \n"He enjoyed music more than dentistry," Severinsen said. "It was something we could do together."\nSeverinsen originally wanted to play the trombone but instead chose the only horn in Arlington's music store -- the trumpet. \nAccording to a prepared biographical statement, by the time "Little Doc" was seven, he joined the high school band. Severinsen won the Music Educator's National Contest and was invited to join the Ted Fio Orchestra while he was still in high school. \nWhile gigging with the group, Doc was drafted and served in the army during World War II. After the war, he landed gigs with the Charlie Barnet band, Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman. \nSeverinsen began his time in New York by becoming a staff musician for NBC. After landing a gig with "The Tonight Show" band, conductor Skitch Henderson asked him to join the band.\nSeverinsen enjoyed his years on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." \n"At the time, it was really the biggest program on TV in the U.S," Severinsen said. "There was no competition. Johnny and the whole show was just so incredibly popular."\nWhen Carson retired from television in 1992, Severinsen began touring with a fifteen-piece big band. Severinsen, now 67 years old, still tours around 46 weeks every year. \n"It gets me onto the stage each night," he said. "I keep wanting to come back for some more."\nSeverinsen's favorite part of performing is the interaction between his performers and the audience.\n"The energy of the audience and the energy of the entertainers combine," he said. "We have fun at the same thing, and we (feel) sadness at the same time."\nThe IU Auditorium is gearing up for what Auditorium Director Doug Booher is anticipating to be a great show.\n"We're very excited to bring Doc Severinsen, who's a highlight of late-night television for so many years on 'The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,' not to mention the fact that he's one of the finest big band and jazz trumpeters and band leaders in history," he said. "It's great to welcome a legend to the Auditorium on Friday night. It's a great way to come out and hear some really fine music … these are the finest big band musicians on the road today, and that's why we brought them to Bloomington."\nSeverinsen is also excited to return to the IU Auditorium. \n"It's going to be a real pleasure for me," he said. "I have lots of friends on the faculty … it feels nice, like, 'This is familiar.'"\nTickets are on sale at the IU Auditorium box office or at www.iuauditorium.com. \n-- Contact staff writer Jenny Kobiela at jkobiela@indiana.edu.