Fans of the Percussion Ensemble and the Jazz Band were certainly “In the Mood” (a nod to Glenn Miller’s standard that opened the Jazz Band portion of the concert) this week as the talented Crusader musicians took to the stage in the auditorium for a selection of rousing tunes. From Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther” to Johnathan Bendrick’s “Geometrics,” the percussionists shattered any silence with their skills. They “swept” the audience away with the clever “Brooms Hilda,” during which the performers created music from push brooms! The horns came alive–as did the electric guitars, trombones, and saxophones–when the Jazz Band swung through the aforementioned Glenn Miller classic as well as his “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and Duke Ellington’s “Satin Doll.” The concert ended with a jazz version of the Crusader Fight Song, arranged by the performers themselves!
