NIC offers ‘USO Salute’ with Nicole Lewis

The North Idaho College Music Department would like to honor all of our veterans and all of our service men and women with a “USO Salute” concert of familiar jazz favorites from the USO book. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center and will feature Cardinal Vocal Jazz, North Idaho College Jazz Ensemble and special guest Nicole Lewis.

Cardinal Vocal Jazz is excited to celebrate the great United Service Organizations tradition of bringing entertainment to the troops. The program will feature arrangements of two war-time favorites, Duke Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone” and Irving Berlin’s “How Deep is the Ocean.” Blues tune “Your Mouth is on Vacation” and the swinging “A Real Swinging Affair” complete the vocal jazz set.

The NIC Jazz Ensemble is pleased to announce that they will be joined by regional singing sensation Nicole Lewis. Lewis will open her set with Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” and Rogers and Hart’s “Blue Moon.” Next she will join trumpeter Phil Aarhus performing Johnny Mercer’s “And the Angels Sing.” After a couple of tunes from the Jazz Ensemble, she will return to Rodgers and Hart songbook for “The Lady is a Tramp” and finish her set with Michael Buble’s scorcher “Feeling Good.”

The NIC Jazz Ensemble will reach back into the Glenn Miller USAAF book for two of its selections: “Jeep Jockey Jump” and “Flying Home.” They will also put a new, “Tonight Show Band,” twist on a couple of Glen Miller favorites: “In the Mood” and “String of Pearls.” The ensemble will introduce a wonderful “Armed Forces Medley” by local writer/arranger Tom Tucker with Bill Holman’s hard swinging “Bugle Call Rag.” The Jazz Ensemble will join forces with the Cardinal Vocal Jazz for two classics: Glenn Miller’s “Moonlight Serenade” and the Andrew Sisters’ “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree.”

The evening will end with “Armed Forces Medley” arranged by Tom Tucker and featuring Nicole Lewis and Max Mendez. The medley is a perfect way to say thank you to all those who have made sacrifices for our country.

Directed by Jones, the North Idaho College Jazz Ensemble is a collection of jazzers from all over the area. They get together once a week to explore the diversity in big band music. From the swing music of Ellington and Basie though the innovations of Kenton to the contemporary works of Metheny and Radio Head -- nothing is off limits for this group.

Under the direction of Mendez, Cardinal Vocal Jazz from NIC is made of up seven versatile singers and a rhythm section. This group specializes in close harmony and vocal improvisation. Their repertoire includes music of the Great American Songbook, Latin/Bossa Nova selections and inventive arrangements of today’s popular music.

The concert is free and open to the public.

Information: (208) 769-3424 or www.nicolelewismusic.com

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