Thursday, October 1
Atkinson Hall
NMSU Campus
Big Band Night
Led by Las Cruces’ Johnny Lang and comprising almost 20 members, the big band is a favorite among locals. The ensemble is an affiliate of the MVJBS and can be heard performing at various venues throughout the fall and spring seasons.
Swing along to tunes by such great composers as Cole Porter, Thad Jones, Duke Ellington and Lester Young, as well as selections such as “How High the Moon,” by Les Paul and “Critical Mass,” by Jeff Jarvis. Audiences may also hear such vocal selections as “Something’s Gotta Give,” “Over the Rainbow” and “Night and Day.”
Border Jazz Orchestra
The Border Jazz Orchestra performs a variety of jazz music including the classic big band arrangements of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Stan Kenton, along with more contemporary compositions and arrangements of Fred Sturm, Gordon Goodwin, Patty Darling, Alan Baylock, and Pete McGuinness.
The ensemble is led by Dr. Pancho Romero, who founded the jazz orchestra in 1991. The ensemble is composed of the region’s finest jazz musicians and has performed with many internationally recognized jazz musicians including Chris Vadala, John Fedchock, Hillary Smith, Bobby Shew, Clay Jenkins, Dana Landry, Wayne Bergeron, Andy Martin, and Pete McGuinness.
Members of the ensemble, who are mostly jazz educators, have toured with jazz greats including the “Glenn Miller Orchestra,” Woody Herman, “The Airmen of Note,” Wayne Newton, and Elvis Presely. Members have performed on stage with Richie Cole, Bill Watrous, Tia Fuller, “The Supremes,” “The Temptations,” “Four Tops,” and “Sandy Hacket’s Rat Pack Show,” along with decades of jazz performances at jazz festivals and regional concerts.