AIR FORCE BAND SHADES OF BLUE TO PLAY HERE OCT. 22

You don't have to be a jazz aficionado to enjoy next week's concert by the Air Force Band of Mid-America's Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble, said the band's director.

"A lot of these will be tunes audience members will know," said Master Sgt. Rosalind Zopp, the noncommissioned officer in charge of Shades of Blue. "It's all very listenable."

Shades of Blue will perform at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Cape Central High School auditorium. Tickets are free and are available at the Southeast Missourian, 301 Broadway, or mail ticket requests to Shades of Blue Jazz Ensemble, c/o Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699. The Southeast Missourian is sponsoring the concert.

One of the purposes of the Air Force band program is to preserve our national heritage, Zopp said. Since jazz is uniquely American, Shades of Blue was created to bring this musical form to locations across the country.

The concert Oct. 22 will feature a wide range of jazz styles, Zopp said. There will be big band music from the 1930s and '40s; tributes to Duke Ellington, who was born 100 years ago this year, and Count Bassie; and contemporary pieces.

"There should be enough variety to keep everyone interested," Zopp said.

Shades of Blue is one of a number of Air Force bands that tour the country.