Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present its jazz bands, the Swingin’ Axes and the Swingin’ Aces, in concert at 7:30 p.m Friday, Oct. 11, in Cole Concert Hall in the Wright Music Building on the SFA campus.

Under the direction of Dr. Gary Wurtz, professor of trumpet and jazz studies at SFA, the Swingin’ Axes will play “a number of terrific selections, both classic and modern,” Wurtz said. Among them will be Duke Ellington’s famous “In a Mellow Tone,” Chick Corea’s “Spain” and Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me,” as arranged by Gordon Goodwin.

“The writing of Sammy Nestico, known for his work with Count Basie and the Airmen of Note, will be showcased through the tunes ‘Out of the Night’ and ‘Put it Right Here,’” Wurtz said.

The Swingin’ Aces, under the direction of Dr. Deb Scott, associate professor of trombone and jazz studies, will perform “Get Out of Town” by Cole Porter, arranged by Art Dedrick; “Here’s That Rainy Day” by Johnny Burke and James Van Heusen, arranged by Bob Lowden; “Pink Squirrel” by Shorty Rogers featuring Lufkin junior P.J. DeJesus on trumpet, Fort Worth freshman Jonathan Bowers on trombone, and San Antonio senior Angel Duran on tenor sax; and “Two Seconds to Midnight” by Alan Baylock featuring Chance Moore, a junior from San Augustine, on guitar and Bowers on trombone.

The concert is a joint presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and the School of Music. The jazz bands’ performances are part of the School of Music’s Concert Series.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Internationally renowned percussionist Brian Zator will perform a guest recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in Cole Concert Hall as part of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music’s Cole Performing Arts Series.

With an emphasis on four-mallet marimba playing, Zator will perform various styles of pieces for different solo percussion instruments, such as marimba, snare drum, multi-percussion and more.

Zator is the director of percussion at Texas A&M University-Commerce. His responsibilities include the classical and marching percussion ensembles, the “Panimation” steel drum band, undergraduate and graduate applied lessons, and the percussion methods course.

As a marimba/percussion soloist, he has performed with the Conroe and The Woodlands Symphonies, with the Texas A&M-Commerce Symphonic Band, and at several Texas Day of Percussion events. He is active giving clinics and concerts at various colleges, high schools and state festivals, as well as the Texas Music Educators Association convention, the California Band Directors Association convention, and the Winter Music Festival in Vale Veneto, Brazil. He is the principal timpanist and percussionist with the Northeast Texas Symphony.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students. For tickets or more information, please visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS.

Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

The Center for Regional Heritage Research at Stephen F. Austin State University will display the exhibit “Hauntings” starting 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Nacogdoches Historic Depot, 101 Old Tyler Road.

Just in time for Halloween, the exhibit will focus on iconic ghost stories developed around railroads. Many of these ghost stories originated in the 19th century and are still shared today. The exhibit will include tales of the headless brakeman who wandered the tracks, the mysterious ghost trains that traveled eerily through the night, the “waiting woman” and many more.

The exhibit will continue through Oct. 31. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kelley Snowden at (936) 468-4405 or snowdenkelle@sfasu.edu.