Almost home.....

We are 30 miles away - home in about 30 minutes!!

Travel Update

Just left a truck stop north of Effingham - 210 miles to go. Estimated arrival time at 1:30 am.

Heading home........

Saying "goodbye" to Hall-of-Fame bus driver Ron.  Ron has taken Mustangs to Indy, Purdue, Peoria, and now to and from Savannah.  We are hopeful to cross paths with Ron again on the road.............

Swing Central Festival Recap

Enjoy this recap from the Swing Central Festival performance, the Reynolds Square Chamber Ensemble performance, and the Grand Finale evening concert.

2013 Swing Central Festival Image Album

Enjoy this album of images from the 2013 Swing Central Festival in Savannah, Georgia.

2013 Swing Central Festival

Congratulations to the student musicians in the Jazz Ensemble from South High School in Downers Grove and their director, Craig Roselieb, for their tremendous showing at the 2013 Swing Central Festival in Savannah, Georgia.  12 high school jazz bands from all over the country competed in the festival, held in the stunning Lucas Theatre in downtown Savannah.  When the dust settled, the expert panel of five adjudicators selected DGS as the second place ensemble from the festival, earning high artistic praise and  $2,500 prize money.  The band also earned the opportunity to perform on the evening finale concert with bands from California and Florida.  Well done Mustang musicians - we are proud of your continued sonic success at a national level!

Swingin' at Rousakis Plaza

Enjoy the DGS Jazz Ensemble performing at Rousakis Plaza alongside the Savannah River on Thursday, March 28, 2013.

Rousakis Plaza Gig

The band played a swingin' half hour set on the Rousakis Plaza this afternoon on the Savannah River.  The crowd was "wowed" by the Mustang musicians and their performance.  The band is primed and ready for the competition tomorrow.

Master class with Master Jazz Musicians

This morning, the Jazz Ensemble had a clinic with an All-Star team of jazz musicians and educators.  The 8 member team listened to the ensemble perform their competition music and offered immediate feedback and insight for improvement.  The clinician panel was Wycliffe Gordon, Jack Wilikins, Carlos Henriquez, Dan Nummer, Walter  Blanding, Herlin Riley and Ron Ketch.  As a special treat, Swing Central artistic director Marcus Roberts spent 20 minutes with the ensemble, focusing on the rhythm section.  The clinicians were impressed with the prowess of the students and with their sonic maturity.  The ideas shared and exchanged in a 90 minute session were priceless.

Improvisation Master Class Segment

Here's one segment from the improvisation master class and clinic today at the 2013 Swing Central Jazz Festival.

Sharing of ideas.............

One of the best aspects of the SWING CENTRAL event is the clinics and master classes, facilitated by a world-class faculty of teachers and performers.  Our students were initially treated to a 2 hour master class with the entire faculty that focused on equipping the jazz improviser with specific tools for success.  Following that session, the students split into instrument specific classes which focused more on pedagogy specific to each instrument.  The event concluded by attending a performance at a venue for the Savannah Music Festival, featuring a world premiere of a piece composed by tenor saxophonist Walter Blanding.  The  students are over-flowing with ideas and techniques, poised to apply all they learned today during their performances over the next several days.