Like the north county weather’s unpredictability in autumn, the sounds in Warriors Hall Nov. 3 changed back and forth from hot and sultry to cool and breezy as the DownBeat Jazz Orchestra unleashed some of the greatest big band and jazz music to swing the Hub City. The Crestview Friends of the Arts brought the 17-piece band to the Warriors Hall stage to celebrate the first anniversary of the hall’s new grand piano.

The audience, which topped 200 jazz lovers, ranged from seniors with canes to a pair of 6-year-old twins who knew good sounds when they heard them, proving that all-American jazz transcends generations.

A boisterously hard-pumping arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Take the A Train” kicked off the evening, followed by numbers showcasing the orchestra’s multi-faceted vocalist Gina Walker, whose tight vocals demonstrated ear-pleasing control but also let her cut loose when the material — or mood — demanded. Her warm, heartfelt rendition of the Brothers Gershwin’s “Summertime” from “Porgy and Bess” was breathtaking.

Saundra Daggs, a guest vocalist, thrilled the audience with her rendition of Cole Porter’s complicated masterpiece “Night and Day,” followed by the perky “Mambo Italiano” before slowing things down with a soulful “This Masquerade.”

The songs reeled off one after the other, with the DownBeat guys, Gina and Saundra molding Hit Parade standards into fresh, exciting pieces all their own.

“This band plays stuff we like to play,” music director — and Gina’s husband — Michael Walker said. “We try to be more audience-sensitive, but when we got together, we said we’d play the stuff we didn’t get to play in high school.”

During many numbers, couples, often led by the Crestview Fred Astaire studio’s David Colón, Erika Moreno and Aaron Stowell, cut the rug. Unable to restrain their happy feet, three of Brent and Julie Bywater’s four children took to the floor and remained fixtures down front for the rest of the evening.

While 6-year-old twins Rex and Sydney’s dancing might charitably be described as “athletic,” Trevor, 8, whom Mom Julie said was “channeling his inner Gene Kelly,” whose movies are among Trevor’s favorites, displayed his “juke” dancing.

“When you juke, you’re able to do stuff real fast,” Trevor said, explaining the Chicago-born sideslip moves. “You can do a lot with your feet.”

“I enjoy seeing the children dancing, especially to this kind of music,” Gina said. “Our parents motivated us to (enjoy) big band music and it’s just so important, it doesn’t die for today’s kids.”

Some, however, found the children’s exuberance distracting.

“It was cute at first,” Pamela Tousserchamp said. “But after a while, all that running around got to be annoying.”

The evening’s second half kicked off with a spirited version of “In the Mood.” Gina led the band into a great version of “Straighten Up and Fly Right” that contrasted — nicely — with Nat King Cole’s original, and an emotionally satisfying rendition of “At Last,” made famous by Etta James, that sent chills up many a spine.

The band cut loose with a fantastic instrumental medley of several Leonard Bernstein songs from “West Side Story.” Like good little Jets and Sharks, the Bywater kids danced throughout. Daggs returned for a lovely “Why Don’t You Do Right” and “a little ballad,” “The Nearness of You.”

The night’s last Cole Porter tune was the usually sultry “Love for Sale,” which the guys re-imagined with a jazzy, swingin’ beat. But they saved us a good torch song for the finale, with Gina’s slow, sad, glorious rendition of “Traveling Light.”

It was a memorable evening, an event proving Crestview needs and desires accessible timeless music that thrills the ear, nudges the heart and stirs the feet, whether they’re Erika Moreno’s elegant pumps or Rex Bywater’s sneakers with flashing red LEDs in the soles.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Concert Review: Swinging in Crestview: VIDEO

CRESTVIEW — Crestview Community Theater presents its first production, the classic dark comedy, “Arsenic and Old Lace” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 and 17 and at 3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Warrior’s Hall, 201 Stillwell Ave.

Tickets are $10 for adults / $5 for children under 12 and can be purchased at The Journey Java Connection at 269 N. Main St. downtown. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door before each performance.

Call 398-8814 for details or to become a Crestview Community Theater sponsor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview Community Theater presents ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’

CRESTVIEW — The Okaloosa County Fair is over for another year, but three Crestview High School students have tangible memories in the form of ribbons awarded for their art works at the annual event.

Rebecca Morris, a junior, received a second-place ribbon for “Misty,” a cut paper collage depicting a small dog. Each component of the work was made from individual pieces of colored paper intricately cut to form the image.

Collegiate High School junior Naomi Campagne received an Honorable Mention ribbon for her sculpture, “My Life is in Your Hands.” The work depicts an infant cradled in a pair of caring hands. Naomi, a Crestview resident, spends most of her school day at the Northwest Florida State College-based high school, but begins her day in Crestview High art instructor Laurel Breaux’s studio classroom at Crestview High.

“She’s Collegiate now but she still participates in Crestview High School activities,” Breaux said. “She is exceptionally talented.”

Jordan Sutherland, a Crestview High 10th-grader, also won an Honorable Mention ribbon for her ceramic plate, “Falling Leaves.” Leaf-shaped holes in the plate accentuate the work’s title.

The local students’ winning artistry was exhibited throughout the Oct. 8-13 fair at the Fort Walton Beach fairgrounds.

The Arts and Design Society of Fort Walton Beach administers the visual arts component of the fair, Breaux said.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CHS art students are winners

The Crestview High School chorus’ annual pancake breakfast is 7-10 a.m. in the Crestview High cafeteria.

You can eat pancakes, sausage and listen to performances every half-hour by the award-winning 130-voice chorus’ component ensembles.

Pancake plates cost $6 for adults and $3 for elementary school kids.

Call 689-7328 for information. All proceeds benefit the school’s choral music program.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pancake breakfast benefits CHS chorus

NICEVILLE — Kicking off its fourth packed-house national tour, “Drumline Live” will “parade out of the football stadium and onto the stage” 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.

The show — a synchronized musical and athletic showcase based in the historically black college/university tradition of the show-style marching band — features a mix of sounds from the hottest contemporary hip hop, R&B and classic Motown tunes to the rousing sounds of the great brass tradition.

Tickets are $35 each at the box office at 729-6000 or at www.mattiekellyartscenter.org. There is a $2 per ticket processing fee.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 'Drumline Live' marches to Mattie Kelly Center

CRESTVIEW — Members of the 280-piece high school band joined residents in preparations to welcome 36 visitors from Crestview’s French sister city, Noirmoutier.

The Big Red Machine will perform “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem, during a presentation of the American and French flags at Friday’s football game against Niceville.

Finding arrangements of the rousing anthem took some research, stemming to the last visit by a Noirmoutier contingent in 2009. At the time, band director Jody Dunn turned to his predecessor, Mayor David Cadle, in his quest for the sheet music. Cadle, in turn, turned to his son Ben, a musician in the Army Ceremonial Band in Washington, D.C.

“He didn’t have it, but he pointed me in the right direction to find it,” Cadle said. “I contacted the West Point band library. They emailed it to me. I had it the next day.”

Now, the arrangement is in the Crestview High band’s music library. With each subsequent visit by a contingent from Crestview’s sister city, a new class of Big Red Machine members can add the anthem to their repertoire.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Big Red Machine to perform French national anthem for guests (VIDEO)

CRESTVIEW — Warriors Hall will erupt into an evening of lively big band and jazz music when the Friends of the Arts present “A Swinging Serenade” on Nov. 3. The concert, which features the Downbeat Jazz Orchestra, marks the first anniversary of the arts group’s acquisition of a grand piano for the city-owned auditorium, and the cherry-wood instrument will feature prominently.

Dick Reinlie, owner of UpBeat Music in Crestview, and Will Corbin formed the 17-piece orchestra as the Playground Big Band, music director Michael Walker said.

“They were classmates at Choctaw a while ago,” Walker said. “The band got its genesis at Playground Music in Fort Walton Beach. We felt it was time for us to expand our horizons beyond the Playground area. The name was a little bit localized.”

While attendees at Saturday’s concert will have many opportunities to cut the rug to Hit Parade swing standards during the concert, the orchestra’s repertoire extends beyond tunes of the great band era, Walker said.

“We do a lot of the classic … themes that people associate with big band music — the Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, those (kinds) of things — but we also do some of the specialized big band and jazz music,” he said. “The music of Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, some of the more significant weight pieces. They’re more like serious compositions.”

Like many bands of the 1930s and ’40s, vocals are an integral part of the Downbeat Jazz Orchestra.

“Our singer is really the centerpiece of our band,” Walker said. “We feature the vocals of Gina Walker.”

Saundra Daggs, known as the First Lady of Crestview Jazz, will join the group, as a special guest, for several numbers.

“It’s going to be a really fantastic night of music,” Friends of the Arts concert chair Mary Mancini, wife of the late national touring big band leader Michael Mancini, said. “There’s no way anybody will be able to keep their feet still when these guys start playing.”

Want to go?

The Crestview Friends of the Arts presents the Downbeat Jazz Orchestra in “A Swinging Serenade,” a night of big band and jazz music, 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at Warriors Hall in the Whitehurst Municipal Building.

Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for students, at UpBeat Music, Azteca Mexican Restaurant, Journey Java Connection and Lewis & Company Jewelers.

Call Rae Schwartz, 585-5672, for more information.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Nov. 3 concert celebrates first anniversary of grand piano arrival

CRESTVIEW — After the Crestview High School band marched away with multiple trophies at the Battle of the Border band competition in Valdosta, Ga., folks throughout the tri-state area learned what the 280-piece band’s north Okaloosa County fans already knew: The Big Red Machine’s a winner.

Crestview’s band took home trophies for Best Music, Best General Effect and — out of 18 Florida, Alabama and Georgia bands that competed — First Runner-Up, being edged out of first place by the Tallahassee Redcoats, band supporter Jennifer Cadenhead said.

“The Big Red Machine scored high by receiving straight superior ratings,” she said. “In the preliminary round, we took first place in our class, first place for our division and qualified for the finals that evening.

“They went to Wild Adventures (an amusement park) after the competition,” Cadenhead said. “There was certainly steam to release because there was a lot of pressure. There were 18 bands during the preliminary and the finals came down to eight bands.”

The Big Red Machine figures prominently in her family, Cadenhead said. Her sister was in the band’s color guard; her brother, Carmine Harrell, is the band’s current assistant drum major; and she’s a fan of the organization herself.

“I’ve been to every Friday Night Lights and almost every away game over the past six years,” she said.

Cadenhead said if fans still have not seen the band’s show woven around Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, “The Phantom of the Opera,” there is one more opportunity.

“The cadence and the visual effect (fill) you with admiration for the talent portrayed by our young performers,” she said.

“You still have time to come see our show and join in the excitement at Crestview High School Friday night, Nov. 2, at 7p.m., when Crestview Bulldogs go against Niceville Eagles and we celebrate senior night for Crestview High School.

“This is the last CHS football game and the last Big Red Machine performance for the year.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Big Red Machine scores multiple wins in regional competition