Who says today’s kids are going to the dogs?
Certainly not I — nor would you, had you been with me at a delightful luncheon recently at the Methodist church in El Centro.
The luncheon was wonderful: delectable food, beautiful decorations, being waited upon by handsome, distinguished men and the joyful banter among friends, some longtime and some newly acquired.
But, for me, the most outstanding part of the afternoon was a magnificent presentation of jazz by The Southwest High School Jazz Band of El Centro. I’m here to tell you, these young musicians are fantastic.
From the very first chord to the last, it was apparent that these young people, dressed in classy, sophisticated black-on-grey uniforms, had command of their music. It thrilled this old jazz junkie’s heart to hear the Big Band sounds from World War 2, like “In The Mood,” rocking that old social hall only to be intertwined with some newer and more mellow sounds, such as the theme from “The Lion King”
The sounds of the group were solid and the soloists were great. All grade levels were represented from freshmen to seniors, the leader, apparently being “the oldest freshman alive,” a trombonist with “snow on the roof,” by the name of Mark Mordasini.
If you are not a musician, you need to know that this kind of advanced music takes a great deal of time, talent and intensive effort in which to achieve excellence. These young musicians have worked hard to get where they are and they most certainly deserve our admiration and respect.
Have these kids “gone to the dogs”? Absolutely not.
Thank you, Mr. Mordasini and members of The Southwest High School Jazz Band for a very special afternoon. You have every right to be proud.
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