CAPE CENTRAL JAZZ FESTIVAL SATURDAY

More than 400 high school and collegiate jazz musicians will perform Saturday in the 14th annual Cape Girardeau Central High Jazz Festival.

Bands from 20 high schools in addition to an all-district band and the jazz band from Southeast Missouri State University will play throughout the daylong event. Judges will rate the bands on a scale of 1-5.

The festival's featured artist and judge this year is Kansas City-area trumpet player Mike Metheny, brother of celebrated jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.

Admission to the festival is free.

Bands will play in both the high school auditorium and the old high school gym. The day's first band, from Bismarck High School, will begin performing at 9 a.m.. A different band will follow each half hour, with a one-hour break for lunch.

Metheny, Milan, Tenn., high school band director Todd Hill, and Barry Bernhardt, who is the director of activity bands at the university, will judge the bands appearing in the auditorium.

The bands in the old gym will be judged by former Central band director Jon Fisher, longtime Cape Girardeau band leader Jerry Ford and university percussion professor Dan Dunavan.

This year's festival is one of the largest staged by Central High School, which sponsors the event along with the university.

Ron Nall, director of the Cape Central band, said the festival format unlike a competition is meant to welcome schools of all sizes and bands of all abilities.

"It gives a lot of bands who feel they can't compete head-to-head a chance to compete and perform," he said.

"It's more of an encouragement."

Except for the two combos that will appear, most of the bands will consist of 15-20 members.

The day will be capped by a performance in the auditorium by the SEMO All-District Jazz Band, directed by Bob Spiegelman of St. Charles West High School, at 3:30 p.m., and by the University Jazz Band featuring Mike Metheny at 4 p.m.

An awards ceremony will follow.

The all-district jazz band members are: Traci Baker, first alto sax, Cape Central; Doug Broughton, second alto sax, New Madrid County; Brandon Suedekum, first tenor sax, Jackson; Travis Moore, second tenor sax, Doniphan; Greg Robinson, baritone sax, Cape Central; Brandon Cox, first trumpet, Jackson; Christie Wood, second trumpet, New Madrid County; Chris Redfearn, third trumpet, Cape Central; Kim Prevallet, fourth trumpet, Perryville; and Josh Lamar, fifth trumpet, Cape Central.

Other members include: Matt Kiefer, first trombone, St. Vincent; Gary Bohnert, second trombone, St. Vincent; Laura Krone, third trombone, Cape Central; Lance Haman, fourth trombone, Cape Central; Sheila Marshall, piano, Jackson; Eric Burnley, guitar, Cape Central; Matt Pittman, bass, Jackson; Ryan Harper, drums, Jackson; and Eric Stocks, auxiliary drums, New Madrid County.

The schedule in the auditorium is: Bismarck, 9 a.m.; East Prairie, 9:30 a.m.; Charleston, 10 a.m.; Ste. Genevieve, 10:30 a.m.; North County-Desloge, 11 a.m.; Northwest, 11:30 a.m.; Jackson, 1 p.m.; Eureka, 1:30 a.m.; Jackson combo, 2 p.m.; Cape Central, 2:30 p.m.; Mehlville combo, 3 p.m.; all-district band, 3:30 p.m.; university jazz band, 4 p.m.; and the awards ceremony, 4:30 p.m.

The schedule in the old gym is: Sechman junior high, 10 a.m.; Crestview junior high, 10:30 a.m.; Fox junior high, 11 a.m.; Jo Byrns School, 11:30 a.m.; Doniphan, 1 p.m.; Bishop DuBourg, 1:30 p.m.; St. Vincent, 1 p.m.; Perryville, 2:30 p.m.; and New Madrid Central, 3 p.m.