Rich big band sound coming to Mackenzie Hall
It’s a bit tough for the Nil-A-Nova band to get paying gigs these days even though there’s nothing like them in Windsor.
The 15-piece ensemble with five saxophones, three trumpets, three trombones and a rhythm section is keeping alive the melodic songs composed in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, the big band era. “There’s no other big band. We’re it,” trumpet player and band leader Kevin Masterson said Tuesday.
Masterson, 84, has been a member since 1991. Members range in age from their 60s to age 90 and meet every Monday to practice. He said it’s an accomplishment to have a group that keeps the big band sound alive in Windsor. “You’ve heard of a top 40 band? I say we play the bottom 40,” Masterson joked. “Music of that era has the melodies that are beautiful ... You have a feel for it. It’s so different from the music of today.” The band will perform a concert Sunday at Mackenzie Hall. The fourth-annual spring concert is a fundraiser for Friends of the Court, Mackenzie Hall’s volunteer organization. Nil-A-Nova is slang for nothing new. The band does play newer songs such as Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror and Walk the Moon’s Shut Up and Dance. The group often starts a concert with On Broadway and has jazz standards from George Gershwin and Benny Goodman on its CD recorded last year.
Drummer Owen Jones describes the sound as swing, jazz and pop done in a brassy 15-piece arrangement.
“It’s a huge sound,” Jones said. “It’s a thick, deep, rich sound.” Jones, who has played with the band about 10 years, said most of the concerts are at retirement homes. “That crowd is perfect for us,” he said. “We get a great response.” Masterson said the band members love playing the songs that couples would have danced to years ago and have such great harmonies.
“This music, I don’t think it will ever die out because it’s so enjoyable to hear.”
The concert is Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance at the box office (519-255-7600) or $20 at the door.