UP-TEMPO TEEN-AGER; BIG-BAND SOUNDS INSPIRE BOY'S WORK FOR SCHOOL ENSEMBLE.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer When the 20-member Cactus School jazz band performs ``C.B.G Swing'' by 14-year-old Jason Hunter, it will mark a footstep along the path of some of his musical heroes. Ever since a family friend introduced him three years ago to the driving jazz tempos of the Benny Goodman Noun 1. Benny Goodman - United States clarinetist who in 1934 formed a big band (including black as well as white musicians) and introduced a kind of jazz known as swing (1909-1986) Benjamin David Goodman, Goodman, King of Swing band, he has been hooked on the swinging sounds of 1930s and 1940s big-band music. ``I listened to a CD of big-band music and loved it ever since,'' said the eighth-grader, who counts among his favorite musicians Goodman, Glenn Miller Noun 1. Glenn Miller - United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944) Alton Glenn Miller, Miller and Gene Krupa Gene Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973) was a famous and influential American jazz and big band drummer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style. Biography Eugene Bertram Krupa was born to Polish parents in Chicago, Illinois. as well as contemporary artists like Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (b. October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter and composer. He is among the most prominent jazz musicians of the modern era and is also a well-known instrumentalist in classical music. He is also the Musical Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. . Hunter has combined his love for swing and his impressive musical talent to compose ``C.B.G. Swing,'' which will be performed at the school's spring concert at 7 p.m. Thursday in the gymnasium. ``C.B.G,'' by the way, stands for ``Cactus band geek.'' ``That's what I am. We are all Cactus band geeks. It was a name we made up awhile back and it stuck,'' said Hunter, who plays trumpet, piano and drums. Cactus band director Jim Rosenquist said Hunter's jazz band composition is an outstanding piece of work. ``It's way above normally what an eighth-grader would do. I almost equate it to a kid writing a novel. He spent countless hours working on it,'' Rosenquist said. ``He's the most talented kid I have ever taught. He's the kind of kid, if he pursues it, we will be reading a lot about him someday.'' The source of Jason's musical talent is a puzzle. Neither his mother, an account administrator at a Pasadena investment company, nor his father, a truck driver, are musical, the boy said. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. where he gets it from,'' said Kathy Hunter, Jason's mother. ``It's a gift. The kid can sit down at a computer and start writing his music. He'll say, `Mom, did you hear the clarinet,' and I'll go, No, I don't. He has an ear for music. He hears every instrument.'' Jason has been writing music since the sixth grade with the help of a computer program called ``Music Time.'' He can hook up his computer to a keyboard and play back and hear what music he has penned. He started writing ``C.B.G. Swing'' in the seventh grade. He reworked it for the school jazz band after Rosenquist put out a call for student compositions. It took about eight to nine months, on and off, to complete it. Jason is starting his own swing band with classmates Classmates can refer to either:
In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a pianist and bass player. In addition to playing swing, Jason likes to dance to it. His mother takes him and his friends to clubs in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. where all ages are welcome, no alcohol is sold and live bands perform. For his eighth-grade graduation, she is getting Jason and his friend pinstriped pin·stripe also pin stripe n. 1. A very thin stripe, especially on a fabric. 2. a. A fabric with very thin stripes, often used for suits. b. A suit made of such fabric. Often used in the plural. zoot suits. Jason's abilities and affinities make his mother think of reincarnation. ``He started walking and talking early. Everybody told me he had been here before. When he got into the big-band sound, I began to think it was true,'' Kathy Hunter said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) Jason Hunter's ``C.B.G Swing,'' recalling big-band music of the 1930s and '40s, will be performed by the 20-member Cactus School jazz band. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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