America's Hometown Jazz Band will be playing more than an hour's worth of jazz at Mansfield Lake Park of Center Township tonight.
"Fly Me to The Moon", "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Darn that Dream" are just a few of the songs that can be heard.
"It's going to be a beautiful setting," music director Roger McConnell said.
McConnell has been the music director since 1985 when the band began. Since then he has noticed how the attendance of music lovers attending the concert grows each time.
Members of the band, who are made up of Ball State students, faculty and eastern Indiana residents, will be conducted by jazz band director Phil Cooley.
More than half of the band members are employees at Ball State, McConnell said.
McConnell himself is part of the music faculty at Ball State as associate professor of music performance.
He said he had the pleasure of teaching numerous band members while they studied at Ball State.
The band, which can be seen as a jazz band or a concert band, varies in size from 20 to 65 performers. The jazz band concert will feature 20 jazz performers including Myles Ogea, tenor vocalist who is also the owner of the mt cup.
"Myles' voice is very similar to Frank Sinatra," McConnell said.
Ogea will be singing pieces by a variety of composers including Bart Howard, Cole Porter and Hammerstein and Kern.
As well as providing entertainment for the community, the band also invites musicians from all ages to audition for a spot in the band or to perform as a vocalist.
Members in the band range from 15 years old to 82 years old.
The band is a nonprofit group who receives most of its funding through a trust fund set up by the American Federation of Musicians, Local #245.
McConnell said the band recently recorded two CDs, which are planned for released sometime next fall.
"The money from the CDs will help us bring music into the community," McConnell said.
The band has planned a variety of concerts for the summer including a Stars and Stripes Prelude at Minnetrista Cultural Center on July 4 prior to a fireworks display.
The band will also perform at Shafer Tower in its concert titled "Sound the Bells."
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