Big Band Night in Highland Park on June 24
The Kokomo Park Band (KPB) is thrilled to announce the return of its highly anticipated annual Big Band Night on Wednesday, June 24, at the Highland Park band shell. In keeping with the season’s “America at 250” theme, the event title is “America’s Gift to the World - Jazz.”
Sponsored by the Primrose Retirement Community of Kokomo, the concert promises a spectacular evening celebrating five decades of swing and big band jazz.
Back by popular demand to lead this powerhouse hybrid group of KPB players and premier Midwestern jazz performers is guest conductor Dr. Lissa Fleming May of Indiana University. Joining her on center stage are acclaimed returning guest vocalists Gary Wallyn and Cherresa Lawson.
The evening starts at 7 p.m. with a performance by the KPB Howard County All-Star Student Jazz Band, returning for its second year to showcase emerging local talent. The group is organized by KPB member Jeremy Snyder and will be directed by jazz trumpeter and jazz educator Bruce Knepper.
The energy and chemistry this specific artistic lineup brought to our audience last time was electric. The band is delighted to reunite Dr. May, Gary, and Cherresa, along with its extraordinary musicians, for the June 24 performance to deliver the absolute best of the Swing Era to the community.
At 7:30 p.m., the audience can look forward to a sophisticated repertoire of timeless classics, soaring jazz standards, and unforgettable contemporary arrangements.
The concert opens with a high-energy rendition of George Gershwin’s “Strike Up the Band” (arranged by Sammy Nestico) and the nostalgic, clarinet-led strains of Glenn Miller’s iconic “Moonlight Serenade.” The energy continues to swing with Neil Hefti’s playful drum showcase, “Cute,” and Irving Berlin’s elegant “Cheek to Cheek,” sung by Gary Wallyn. Shifting to evocative regional soundscapes, the band will perform Al Cobine’s lush “October in the Air,” followed by a sultry performance of Consuelo Velázquez’s world-famous Latin masterpiece, “Bésame Mucho.”
Vocalist Cherresa Lawson takes center stage for two beloved classics: Hoagy Carmichael’s rich “Heart and Soul” (arranged by Brent Wallarab) and the playful, swinging “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” originally made famous by Ella Fitzgerald. The program also spotlights instrument-specific features and modern jazz-fusion favorites, including Cliff Burwell and Mitchell Parish’s smooth “Sweet Lorraine” as a bass trombone feature, Chuck Mangione’s uplifting “Land of Make Believe,” and Antônio Carlos Jobim’s foundational bossa nova masterpiece, “Chega De Saudade (No More Blues),” which again features Lawson on vocals. Rounding out the night are Count Basie’s hard-swinging, authentic Kansas City-style blues “Vine Street Rumble,” Vernon Duke’s romantic standard “April in Paris,” and Don Gibson’s soulful country-blues crossover “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (arranged by Quincy Jones).
Guest conductor Dr. Lissa Fleming May is a Professor of Music in Music Education and the Interim Chair of the Guitar Department at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she also served as Associate Dean for Instruction from 2015 to 2023. A past president of the Indiana Bandmasters and Music Educators Associations, she previously directed jazz bands at Purdue—where she founded the Purdue Jazz Festival—and is the recipient of the James B. Calvert Outstanding Music Educator Award.
Vocalist Cherresa Lawson, Director of the award-winning Kokomo High School Choirs and a Ball State alumnus, serves as the Vocal Director for KHS stage productions and has been a recurring International Competition finalist in Savannah’s American Traditions Competition. She has also performed recently as a featured vocalist with the Indianapolis Wind Symphony at the Palladium in Carmel.
Vocalist Gary Wallyn, a Chicago native and Indiana State graduate, brings 21 years of high school band directing experience from Kokomo, Princeton, and Alexandria. He currently assists bands at Tipton High School and Northwestern. A member of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir and the Directors’ Jazz Orchestra (DJO), Wallyn has performed as a baritone soloist for the Kokomo Symphony Orchestra and St. Joan of Arc Church while continuing his work as KPB’s saxophonist and librarian.
The family-friendly event includes free children’s coloring materials and popcorn provided by the Serving in Love Team from Morning Star. In case of inclement weather, the concert will move to the Kokomo High School Auditorium and announcements can be found after 5 p.m. on Facebook, the KPB website, or by calling 765-319-8554.
This concert is part of the weekly Summer Concert Series, presented in cooperation with the Kokomo Parks Department, Community Foundation of Howard County, Center Township Trustee, Albert Whitehill Clowes Foundation, the Wyman Group, Tippecanoe Arts Federation (with the Indiana Arts Commission), and American Legion Post #6. Admission is free, funded by individual and business donations. Contributions can be mailed to Kokomo Park Band; PO Box 6039; Kokomo, IN 46904-6039.
For more information, visit www.kokomoparkband.org or follow the Kokomo Park Band on Facebook.