Valentine’s Concert Set for February 13 in Norton Auditorium

Feb. 10, 2022

Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@xfmlsp.com, 256.765.4392

FLORENCE, AL – The University of North Alabama Studio Jazz Band, directed by Dr. Lloyd Jones, and the Shoals Area Big Band will present their annual Valentine’s Concert on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Norton Auditorium on the UNA campus.

“This promises to be one of our most enjoyable concerts,” said Jones, who is Director of Bands at UNA. “Both the Shoals Area Big Band and the UNA Studio Jazz Band have a wonderful line-up of songs for the audience. There will be a salute to Broadway lyricist, Steven Sondheim, who passed away recently; a tribute to the Big Bands and their signature tunes; and the singers are all amazing.”

Among the singers are Melissa Daniel, who will perform with the Shoals Area Big Band. Erica Waldman and Zach Cleghorn will sing with the UNA Studio Jazz Band, and trombonist Charles Rose, one of the founding members of the Shoals Area Big Band and a member of the Muscle Shoals Horns, will be featured on George Gershwin’s “Summertime.”

“It is such a thrill to get the Shoals Area Big Band together on a more normal rotation of performances,” said Jason Lipscomb, lead alto saxophonist. “We have all missed performing regularly over the past couple of years, and we are thrilled to be joining the UNA Studio Jazz Band on this concert.”

Other concert highlights include a musical tribute to Carl Stalling, who wrote the musical scores to Warner Brothers cartoons, including those with Bugs Bunny. The UNA Studio Jazz Band will feature “Hunting Wabbits” by Gordon Goodwin as a musical nod to the composer’s work. The song features Dylan Mashburn on trombone.

“Nearly all the Big Band greats are represented on the concert,” Jones said. “You’ll hear the music of Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Louis Prima, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Les Brown, Count Basie, George Gershwin, Luis Jordan, and our own W.C. Handy. There’s a little of everything in this show, and I hope everyone will find one of their favorite songs included.”

Admission is $15. All U.S. military are admitted free of charge. Children 10 and younger are also admitted free of charge. Proceeds from the concert will support the endowed scholarship funds of Mr. Edsel Holden, Dr. Edd Jones, and the UNA Band. Gifts may be made directly to the funds via the UNA Foundation by calling 256-765-4870.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: xfmlsp.com and xfmlsp.com/unaworks/.