Prairie Brass Band welcomes jazz trumpeter Bobby Lewis
The Prairie Brass Band, under the direction of former John Hersey High School band Director Dallas Niermeyer, typically plays music from the British brass band genre, with its distinctive cornets, fluegelhorns and B-flat tubas.
But on Sunday, they will make a creative stretch. The band will appear at 3 p.m. at Forest View Educational Center in Arlington Heights, along with guest soloist, Bobby Lewis.
The concert marks the debut of the Prairie Brass Band as a partner with Northwest Suburban High School District 214’s cultural arts series.
“It was a no-brainer,” says Mike Field, director of District 214’s community education. “This talented musical organization has quickly established itself as one of the finest brass bands in the entire Midwest.”
Lewis is a well-known studio musician and jazz trumpeter, who has played for everyone from Ramsay Lewis, Curtis Mayfield and Natalie Cole, to playing first trumpet for Tony Bennett.
During their final rehearsal on Thursday, the band’s 35 musicians learned one of the key components in Lewis’ jazz repertoire: improvising.
“We’re a British brass band, and our solos typically are from that genre,” Niermeyer says, “so playing with Bobby brings a whole new dimension to the band. It’s exciting, but is a little out of our wheelhouse.”
Nonetheless, Niermeyer says he has the musicians who can handle it. Many of his 35 performers are music teachers, while others, like tenor horn soloist Mary Gingrich of Wilmette, freelance with Chicago ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Gingrich plays French horn with the CSO, but she will find herself playing outside the classical realm on Sunday, when she performs a difficult solo during the tune, “The Piper O’Dundee.”
Niermeyer drew Lewis to play with the band, because of a personal connection. Both men grew up in Oshkosh, Wis., and some 50 years later, they reconnected through the Chicago music scene.
“It’s just enriching for the band to work with someone who has spent his life playing as a professional,” Niermeyer said.
Sunday’s program will include four selections arranged specially for the band, featuring Lewis on trumpet, fluegelhorn and cornet, “The Trumpeter’s Prayer,” “Legend of a One-Eyed Sailor,” “Concerto de Aranjuez” and a medley of Louis Armstrong tunes.
In addition, the Prairie Brass Band will play a varied program, from the jazz standard, “You and the Night and the Music,” and the British march, “The Middy,” to the “Saddleworth Festival Overture,” which was commissioned for the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and features Australian folk songs.
Tickets are $12 at the door or $10 for students and Gold Card members. Forest View Educational Center is at 2121 S. Goebbert Road, in Arlington Heights.