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Weekend of Jazz debuts March 4

Contributed Photo Five Play, the sister group of The DIVA Jazz Orchestra is described as a "virtual United Nations of Jazz, fusing world cultures with extraordinary musicianship and a shared creative vision." Contributed photos

ENLARGE PHOTO

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9:07 AM Thursday, February 18, 2010

It may be cold outside but it is guaranteed to be hot in Beavercreek High School’s Alumni Auditorium when Weekend of Jazz makes its 2010 appearance.

This year the 10th annual WOJ, presented by the Beavercreek Music Parents Association, will feature Tito Puente Jr. and his orchestra and Five Play.

The event’s subtitle is “Where the Future of Jazz Meets the Legends of Jazz” and during the March 4 through 6 event young musicians will get a chance to rub elbows with accomplished performers.

The WOJ program, which features performances by high school jazz bands from Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, kicks off at 7 p.m. March 4 with performances by the Beavercreek City Schools’ jazz bands during an open clinic, which is free and open to the public.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 6 there will be continuous big band jazz performances by talented young musicians from tri-state area high schools. These performances are also free and open to the public.

Tickets are required for the 8 p.m. March 5 performance by Five Play, the sister group of The DIVA Jazz Orchestra.

The band, described as a “virtual United Nations of Jazz, fusing world cultures with extraordinary musicianship and a shared creative vision,” includes Janelle Reichman of the United States on tenor sax and clarinet, Jami Dauber of the United States on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tomoko Ohno of Japan on piano, Noriko Ueda of Japan on bass and Sherrie Maricle of the United States on drums.

Five Play’s repertoire is comprised of innovative arrangements of classic and contemporary standards, as well as original music composed by the band’s members.

The band’s premier recording, “On the Brink,” was voted No. 1 by Nat Hentoff in Jazz Times’ 1999 Year in Review issue and its follow-up release, “Five Play ... Plus,” was voted one of the Top 10 CDs of 2005 by Coda Magazine. The group’s newest recording, “What The World Needs Now,” was released in the fall of 2008.

Tickets are also required for the 8 p.m. March 6 performance by Tito Puente Jr. and his orchestra. PuentoJr. carries on the tradition of his late father, Tito Puente, an accomplished and celebrated Latin jazz and mambo musician.

While not totally jazz in his delivery, the younger Puente has been a popular performer at many jazz festivals including the New Haven Jazz Festival, Houston Jazz Festival, Harlem Jazz Festival and the Atlanta Jazz Festival, and he’s appeared as a guest of the Dallas Symphony Pops. He will join the San Antonio Symphony for three concerts in its upcoming season.

His latest CD, “In My Father’s Shoes,” featuring the classic Puente favorites, was spun off into a television special tribute by BET Jazz.

Tickets for the Friday and Saturday evening performances are $25 for each show for adults, $20 for seniors, and $15 for students and may be purchased on-line at the WOJ web site, www.WeekendOfJazz.org/tickets, or by calling the WOJ Ticket Hotline at (937) 490-9010. For more information about the Weekend of Jazz, check the festival’s Web site at www.WeekendOfJazz.org.

Contact this columnist at dsb@donet.com.

HEREABOUTS DIANA BLOWERS

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