Friday's Internet Edition, July 25, 2008.
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"I look at this as a win-win situation," said David Deese, director of bands at East Davidson. "It is our biggest fundraiser. Each band performs three numbers, and then they get to spend about a half an hour with professional musicians, who help them learn things about jazz. So the kids get to hear professional musicians and then get to play and work with them, while our band makes money."
And not only are people in the area helping a highly awarded band, but they also get to enjoy performances by the band, as well as professional musicians. Adding to the jazz flavor of the festival will be a Cajun-style dinner.
Kicking off the festival tomorrow at 7 p.m. is a performance by the Seth Carper Quartet out of Charlotte. Carper, an alto saxophonist, will be joined by a pianist, a bassist and a drummer.
"Seth did his student teaching with me six or seven years ago and has since been playing all over," Deese said. "He’s had some time on cruise ships, and he’s been making a pretty good living playing all around."
Tickets for the Friday night show are $5.
"Saturday, we have high school band clinics going on all day, starting at 8:30," Deese said. "The seven-dollar admission includes our feature performance by Café MARS out of Raleigh. They’re a well-known group around the state."
Café MARS will play at 4 p.m.Saturday. At 5 p.m., the East Davidson Jazz Ensemble will play as festival attendees enjoy a Cajun dinner, which can be purchased for $13.
"We do still have some tickets left for the dinner, and it’s either crawdads or chicken," Deese said. "Then we’ll have all the Cajun fixin’s, including sausage, corn, potatoes and onions."
Another tribute to New Orleans during this festival is that $1 of every two-day ticket sold is being donated to the Katrina Relief Fund.
The East Davidson High School Band, including its Golden Eagles Marching Band, is carrying on a proud tradition of achievement. According to band booster Teresa Huffman, "Our band has consistently been rated as one of the top bands in the state, winning top honors in band competitions for many years."
This year has been no exception.
"We’re capping off a really good year," Deese said. "We defeated about 65 bands this year and only got beat by one band, the Clover (S.C.) High School Marching Band."
Deese credits part of the success of his program to assistant directors Raychl Smith, who also serves as director of the Brown Middle School Band, and Wes Allred.
"It’s a really special program, and we’ve got some great kids, great parents and great circumstances," Deese said. "The East Davidson High School Band Booster Club runs this whole festival. It’s a great organization."
Staff Writer Kevin Reid can be reached at 472-9500, ext. 230, or at reid@tvilletimes.com.