PANOLA COLLEGE SETS ANNUAL SWING CONCERT

On Tuesday, June 20th, the 17-piece Sounds of Swing band will perform its 5th annual concert to benefit the Panola College Fine Arts Department.  The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Q.M. Martin Auditorium on the Carthage campus. Tickets are $5 each and will be available at the door.

Directed by Jerry Hale of Henderson, the band performs for concerts and dances throughout the region.  Hale is the retired director of the Kilgore College Ranger Band.  Other members of the band include Panola College band director Mike McGowan playing lead alto sax, lead trombone player Ken Barnes of Nacogdoches and lead trumpet player Terry Dorsey of Henderson.

Also featured are musicians from Marshall, Longview, Henderson, Nacogdoches, Shreveport and Carthage.

Included in the program will be the music of the great swing bands of the 40s and 50s.  Fans of the era will recognize many of the selections which are played exactly as the legendary bands recorded them.  Come and hear the music of Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie and other great bands that captivated music audiences for a generation.

The Band’s 2005 concert was recorded and a CD of the performance will be available for sale at the concert. For additional information about the Sounds of Swing band, visit their website at www.soundsofswing.org