Big plans for the MHCC Jazz Band in 2006

By CORIN SALNAVE

Members of the Jazz Band will be leaving for their second trip to Taiwan on Feb. 7 for several performances, helping to celebrate Lamp Festival for the Chinese New Year.

They will be guests of the city Kaohsiung, where the mayor will recognize them at a luncheon, along with many other international guests, where Taiwanese food will be served.

Susie Jones, a music and Jazz Band instructor at MHCC, plans to tell her students to bring along a few granola bars in case they can’t stomach the food.

The band will be taking their trip along with Portland Mayor Tom Potter and others with the Portland delegation. They will be serving as cultural ambassadors representing American music and the event will last several days with numerous events. Jones said the group will be taking swing dancers along for the performances.

The Jazz Band will perform a concert in the College Theater at 7:30 p.m. on March 16.
On May 6 MHCC will be hosting the NW Jazz Band Festival with competitions involving over 90 middle and high schools. June 6 is Jazz Night at 7:30 in the College Theater.

If you miss the performances, you can tune into the Jazz Band at MHCC with the CD they will be putting out later this year.