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Tuesday, January 14, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band performing "Cool January Jazz," at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge, in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. The show includes "The Heat's On," "Sister Sadie," "A Night in Tunisia," and more. Jakki Ford sings "Black Coffee," "How High the Moon," "At Last!," and other great tunes accompanied by the band.
Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing "Jazz Sampler for Sweethearts," a pre-Valentine's evening of sweet and hot big-band music at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge, in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. The show includes "Day by Day," "The Touch of Your Lips," and "Love is Here to Stay." Jakki Ford, accompanied by the band, sings "Almost Like Being in Love," "My Funny Valentine," and more. Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - The MHJB Assoc. presents the 21st Annual Jazz Extravaganza concert at the Carson City Community Center. The Extravaganza is sponsored by the Mile High Jazz Band Association as a benefit for youth jazz programs. Performing with Mile High Jazz Band this year are the Carson High School Jazz Band directed by Nick Jacques, the Carson Middle School Jazz Band directed by Stephanie Van Orman, and the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra directed by Nichole Heglund.
Sunday, March 2, 2025 - 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - I conduct the Carson City Symphony, starting its forty-first season with a concert called "Here and There" featuring music by composers from Italy, France, Finland, and Argentina. The concert is at the Carson City Community Center. Joining the orchestra as oboe soloist is Aaron Hill from the University of Nevada music faculty. He performs Antonio Pasculli's Simpatici Ricordi della "Traviata" fantasticati per Oboe (Nice Memories of "Traviata" Fantasy) - a fantasia based on themes from Verdi's famous opera - and Astor Piazzolla's Oblivion. Concertmaster/Assistant Conductor Brian Fox conducts the Piazzolla composition. The concert also includes Jean Sibelius' Karelia Suite and César Franck's Symphony in D minor. Tuesday, March 11, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing a jazz-and-poetry event, "Runoff," at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. "Runoff" features the 17-member Mile High Jazz Band playing swinging songs on the theme of the evening. Jakki Ford sings with the band. Poets and readers for the evening are Rita Geil, Terri Breeden, Ursula Carlson, Wayne Carlson, Krista Lukas, Claire McCully, Kathy Nelson, and Timothy Rhodes. Each poem expresses an aspect of the theme and is followed by a tune that relates to the poem.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing "April in Carson," at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. The band plays old favorites and new swinging, big-band selections, including "April in Paris," "Here's That Rainy Day," and "I'll Remember April." Jakki Ford sings "Blues in the Night," "Jumpin' East of Java," "Give Me the Simple Life," and other great tunes accompanied by the band. Saturday, April 25, 2025 - 7:00 p.m. - I play tuba with the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra in CVIC Hall in Minden, NV. Sunday, April 27, 2025 - 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - I conduct the Carson City Symphony, performing "Mountain Majesties" at the Carson City Community Center. The program opens with Mendelssohn's the Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) and Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King. Four guest soloist members of the Salzburger Echo alphorn - Tony Brazelton, Brian Priebe, Robert Brazelton, and Shawn Hagen - are featured in three pieces corresponding to a mountain view, climbing a mountain, and the world premiere of Steven Rosenhaus's Other Side of the Mountain. The concert also includes my composition, Ruby Mountain Reflections, Rocky Mountain Majesty (with photo images of the Rockies by Principal Flute Carol Grenier), and A Night on Bald Mountain (Sopkin's short version).
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing "Come What May," an evening of big-band music at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. "Come What May" features the 17-member band playing old favorites and new swinging, big-band selections, including "Watermelon Man," "Take the A Train," and "All Blues." Jakki Ford sings "A Tisket, A Tasket," "It was a Very Good Year," and other great tunes with the band.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing "On the Verge," an evening of big-band jazz and poetry at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. The event features the 17-member band playing swinging songs on the theme of the evening in all its variations. Jakki Ford sings with the band. Poets and readers are Rita Geil, Terri Breeden, Ursula Carlson, Wayne Carlson, Krista Lukas, Melanie Perish, Susan Sara Priest, Timothy Rhodes, and Reno Poet Laureate Jesse James Ziegler. Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 6:00 p.m. - The Mile High Jazz Band Association's annual membership meeting and end-of-the-fiscal-year party is at the Carson City Historical Society's Carriage House. I am President of the Association. I also play keyboard in a combo at the event.
Friday, July 4, 2025 - 11:30 a.m. - I play tuba with the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra at Heritage Park in Gardnerville, NV. Friday, July 4, 2025 - 3:45 p.m. - I conduct the Carson City Symphony at the Genoa Americana Celebration at Mormon Station State Park in Genoa, NV. Guest soloist is vocalist Monique DeHavilland. She sings my arrangement of her tune "Evermore," and the orchestra performs my arrangement of J.P. Meder's "Nevada State March." Gary Schwartz conducts the Carson Chamber Singers, his last assignment with the group before retiring. Tuesday, July 8, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing "July Jazz" at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. The 17-member band plays old favorites and new swinging, big-band selections, including "A Night in Tunisia," "Swing, Swing, Swing," and "Rock This Town." Jakki Ford sings "All or Nothing at All," "Hallelujah I Love Him So," and other great tunes with the band. Saturday, July 12, 2025 - The Reno Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. Jane Brown, perform a concert featuring singer/songwriter Lacy J. Dalton. They perform four of the arrangements I wrote for Ms. Dalton.
August 12-16, 2025 - I participate in the SPAH (Society for the Preservation and the Advancement of the Harmonica) Convention in San Antonio, TX. I rehearse and conduct the Tom Stryker Big Band, an 8-piece chromatic harmonica group. The group also performs one or two of my arrangements. August 15-24, 2025 - Jazz & Beyond Music Festival. I serve as chair of the festival's planning committee. Besides some of the finest jazz talent the area has to offer, the festival features other styles of music and entertainment including country & western, folk, latin music, ragtime, and even cowboy poetry. Here are the performers for 2025 (in alphabetical order): Alice Jones Jazz, Bella and the Gentleman, Carolyn Dolan Band, Carson Street Ragtime Band, Cherie and John Shipley's "Take This" band, cowboy poets (Larry Martinel & Johanna Foster, Nancy Harris McLelland), Dallas Smith & Susan Mazer, Darrell and the Darrell-Licks, Dom & Friends, Doug Sandall and Dale Poune (the Double D's), The Gardnervillains, Jazz Catz, The Jazzettes USA, Kantu Inka Machu Picchu, Lucky Diamond and the Incontinentals, Mile High Jazz Band's Basie Birthday event, Monique & the BeBop Revival, Niall McGuinness' New World Jazz Project, No Comprende, Reno Jazz Orchestra, Reno Jazz Project, Retro Radio Dolls, RoseBud's Dance Band, Sagebrush Rebels, and Tom Stryker's Impromptu. Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing the band's annual Basie Birthday Concert at the Bob McFadden Plaza Stage as a featured event of the Jazz & Beyond Music Festival. Resident singer Jakki Ford and guest vocalists Dale Head and Millie Bratsch join the band in this performance. Count Basie was born August 21, 1904, and was the inspiration for the first Carson City festival in 2004 that gradually came to be known as Jazz & Beyond. The performance is free.
Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band, performing "Out of the Question," an evening of big-band jazz and poetry at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. The event features the band playing swinging songs on the theme of the evening in all its variations. Poets and readers are Rita Geil, Terri Breeden, Wayne Carlson, Courtney Cliften, Krista Lukas, Melanie Perish, Timothy Rhodes, and Rachael Trotter. Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. - The Reno Philharmonic plays two of my arrangements at a free "family concert": Juan Arozamena Sanchez's "Las Chiapanecas" and Bertha Raffetto's "Home Means Nevada" (Nevada State Song). These pieces were also performed on four programs for Washoe County fourth graders the previous two days.
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band performing - "Early Autumn Jazz" at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. The band plays old favorites and new swinging, big-band selections, including "Early Autumn," "Road Song," and "Moonlight in Vermont." Jakki Ford sings "Let the Good Times Roll," "That Old Black Magic," and other great tunes with the band. Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 - 4:00 p.m. - I conduct the Carson City Symphony, for the opening of its 42nd season with a concert at the Carson City Community Center. The concert opens with Adrienne Albert's Courage and features guest soloist Jon Bhatia in Alexander Arutiunian's Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. The orchestra also plays selections from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story (conducted by Brian Fox), and Brahms' Symphony No. 3.
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band performing "November Jazz" an evening of big-band music by the Mile High Jazz Band with singers Jakki Ford and Dale Head at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. Admission is free, requested donation is $10.
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 - 3:00 p.m. - I conduct the Reno TubaChristmas event at Wilbur D. May Museum in Reno. Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 - 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. - I lead and play keyboard with the Mile High Jazz Band performing "Stuffed," an evening of big-band jazz and poetry, at Gina's Good Life Music & Lounge in the Carson Nugget. Jakki Ford sings with the band. "Stuffed" features the 17-member band playing swinging songs on the theme of the evening, several featuring vocalist Jakki Ford. Poets present original poems, each expressing an aspect of the theme, followed by a tune that relates to the poem. Poets are Rita Geil, Teresa Breeden, Wayne Carlson, Krista Lukas, Melanie Perish, Susan Sara Priest, Timothy Rhodes, and Reno's 2025 Poet Laureate, Jesse James Ziegler. Friday, Dec. 12, and Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 - I play tuba in a pair of 7:00 p.m. Christmas Concerts with the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra in CVIC Hall in Minden, NV. Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025 - 4:00 p.m. - I conduct the Carson City Symphony in the 42nd Annual Holiday Treat Concert at the Carson City Community Center. The concert features seasonal favorites and includes an opportunity for all to join in the traditional singalong finale! Entertainment in the lobby is by the Carson High Brass beginning at 3:00 p.m. The Symphony, conducted by me and Assistant Director Brian Fox, are joined by the Carson Chamber Singers, conducted by Choral Director Jordan Gotchy, and the Victorian Dancers, choreographed by Tiffany Alm. The combined symphony and chorus open the concert with Leroy Anderson's familiar A Christmas Festival. A special treat is the Symphony's performance of Alfred Reed's Russian Christmas Music. To open the eight-day Hanukah holiday, the orchestra plays Bill Holcombe's Festive Sounds of Hanukah. The dancers swirl and twirl to the music of Emile Waldteufel's Roses de Noel and, with the chorus, Jose Feliciano's Feliz Navidad. |
