Plan now to attend Jazz Night at the Café featuring the Crescenta Valley High School jazz band on Friday, Feb. 21 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Jazz Night at the Café is a long standing, or long dancing, tradition in the CV Instrumental Music program at the high school. The award-winning jazz band brings to life the music of the 1930s and ’40s as they honor the musicians of the WWII era. 

Swing music dominated American popular music from the early 1930s to the mid-40s. The “Big Band Era” included band leaders like Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw. It really was the music of a generation, which was known as the “greatest generation,” according to carnegiehall.com.

The music had an “undeniable groove, or beat. As Louis Armstrong famously said, ‘If you don’t feel it, you’ll never know it.”

“My big focus the last few years in all of my classes was how important basics and fundamentals are,” said Mathew Schick, instrumental music director. 

He added his classroom has continued to be successful with the basics of the WWII era. 

“Jazz is a different animal. There is a style,” Schick said. “It is like a different dialect.”

Adding that for people who speak English, there is a different dialect, or accent, depending on where they are from. This is similar to jazz music being different than other music styles. 

Schick said his community volunteer, Brian Duran, brings a huge wealth of expertise and has helped the kids understand the different types of music. 

“He has been helping me with the jazz band for a while now and is a community volunteer who is our jazz coach,” Schick said.

Schick does not go into the “socio implications” as to what era he and his musicians are playing but he does teach that this style of music is truly an American art form that encompasses different cultures. 

Swing music took the nation by storm – this was well before social media and television. It was during the “golden age of American radio;” however, for most people the way to hear this type of music was by hearing bands that traveled to their area. 

This best way to hear this music is by listening to it played live and it definitely needs to be danced to – and that is what the CVIM members do during Jazz Night at the Café. 

The doors open at 7 p.m., the band plays during this time to get everyone “In the Mood” (pun intended). Then at 7:30 p.m. there will be a dance lesson for those who have never danced to swing and for those who need a quick refresher course. The music begins again around 8 p.m. and continues through to about 8:30 p.m., then at 9 p.m. main band will take a break and a small jazz combo will play until about 9:30 p.m. when the rest of the band joins and plays to 10 p.m.

“What is really cool is [the band members] get to experience a gig,” Schick said of the real world experience the members receive.

This year the band will still be playing swing-inspired jazz music but will also play more of a variety this year. The student musicians will be up early the next morning to perform at the Mayfair Middle/High School in Lakewood. 

Tickets to Jazz Night at the Café are $15, which includes dessert, $75 to reserve a table of four. Advance purchases can be made through a CVIM student or at the door. Occupancy is limited so get there early.

Everyone is encouraged to dress in casual-jazz attire. 

The high school is located at 2900 Community Ave. in La Crescenta; the café is located the intersection of Glenwood and Prospect avenues.