Jazz tonight at the Perot,

The Lyon College Jazz Band brings old school, big band jazz to town for a “Jazz at the Perot” concert tonight.

Filling the Perot Theatre with classic jazz starting at 7:30 p.m. will be the jazz band, along with the college’s vocal jazz ensemble. Special guests include the Texas High School Jazz Band and top area jazz players like clarinetist Dr. Earl Hesse, saxophonist Gary Meggs and trombonist Dick Eckstein.

Hesse is a member of the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame who’s performed with many orchestras and big bands, while Meggs built a strong jazz program as director of bands at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Eckstein peforms regularly with the Texarkana Jazz Orchestra. He’s band director at North Heights Junior High School here in Texarkana.

“What it is is traditional big band jazz with a twist,” said Monty Hill, who directs the relatively new Lyon College Jazz Band. They’ll play music from the 1940s to the ’50s. Expect to hear some bebop, some Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie— music of this nature.

“The jazz band is a typical 20-piece big band,” Hill said about their Glenn Miller-style band, noting Texas High’s jazz band is talented, with guest artists well-known in the area.

The guest artists include musicians who’ve served as teacher and student for one other, “sharing and collaborating with other people,” Hill said. That puts a unique spin on the program, he says, adding, “It’s a real unique format. Teacher and student will play improvisation at the same time.”

“The people will really enjoy the quality,” said Hill, noting they’ll have vocal jazz, too, in between numbers by the jazz bands.

The Lyon College Jazz Band is heading out on the road for

“What it is is traditional big band jazz with a twist.”

—Monty Hill

shows, giving the college’s band program some exposure. And in this concert, they have a circle of musicians who’ve established relationships.

The bands program at Lyons, which is located in Batesville, Ark., is only three years old. Hill calls the school, which was founded in 1872 and is the oldest private college in Arkansas, a hidden secret in the Ozark foothills. He started the band program, which was built from the ground up. “The biggest part of having a quality band is bringing students to campus,” Hill said.

(Tickets: $5. Get tickets at the Perot Theatre Box Office by calling 903-792-4992.)