Spring Fling Thing showcases wealth of talent
Nova New Horizons Band program presents wide variety of entertainment
The Nova New Horizons Band program is preparing to present their Truro-based end of term concert.
The Second Annual Spring Fling Thing will be staged May 15 at the Best Western Glengarry Hotel starting at 7:30 p.m. and will feature the newly minted Beginner Band along with the Level 1 through 4 Bands and the Cobequid New Horizons Jazz Bands. Admission is $15 and includes snack food along with a spring punch.
Nova New Horizons Band program founder, administrator, composer, arranger and conductor Paul Barrett will lead the five concert bands through a wide variety of popular and traditional instrumental music. Truro Junior High School music teacher, arranger and musician Nick Fisher will front the Cobequid New Horiozns Jazz Band and current CEC Director of Music John MacLeod will lead the Cobequid New Horizons Junior Jazz Band.
Following are some of the highlights from the show.
The Level 4 Band will open the program with two Paul Barrett original compositions titled Oakland Odyssey and My Beautiful Colleen. The first selection is a sprited overture and the second was written for Paul’s beautiful daughter whose middle name is Colleen.
The newly minted Beginner Band — along with some help from Level 1 members — will offer the well know Calpyso song Mary Ann and will really swing with New Horizons Band Blues.
The Level 1 Band is the next step up the experience ladder as they perform former CEC bandleader and Nova Scotian musical icon Ron Mackay’s infectious Silly Samba.
Then it’s into famous classical music themes with John O’reilly’s Evening At The Symphony and others.
For the Cobequid New Horizons Junior Jazz Band this will be their second concert performance. Director John Macleod has chosen three jazz classics for the group.
The Level 2 Band continues with another Barrett composition titled Hyclass Overture.
Level 3 will open with a lovely Barrett ballad titled Maple Grove named after the stands of stately maple trees indigenous to Nova Scotia. Next the band borrows from The Beach Boys to present an arrangement of Kokomo which features the percussion players in an open solo section.
The Cobequid New Horizons Jazz Band will perform Keith Jarrett’s Lucky Southern, Oliver Nelson’s Stolen Moments and the classic Perdido. These presentations are a real step up for the group and show their musical growth. Band leader Nick Fisher is a fine musician and multi-instrumentalist who does the arrangements for this group which has its focus on jazz improvisation.
For the grand finale Barrett has arranged a medley of four of the best known and loved Blood, Sweat & Tears songs from early in the band’s impressive discography, which includes Spinning Wheel, You’ve Made Me So Very Happy, And When I Die and HiDe-ho.