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Big Band Spring Swing Fling set for April 11th

Spring is now here and so is the annual Big Band Spring Swing Fling gala on April 11th.
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SWING THE NIGHT AWAY– Flatiron Jazz

Now in its eighth year, the evening hosted by Flatiron Jazz, a local big band group, will be the must attend event of the year, organizers say.

The evening will feature a catered meal and the musical stylings of Flatiron Jazz, encouraging attendees to dance the night away. It’s also an occasion to put on your best attire to go out and hear high caliber music within the City.

Flatiron Jazz consists of 15 musicians from Lacombe and the surrounding area. The group features one vocalist and an array of horns, saxophones, guitars and percussion.

“Like any big band, we play a fair amount of swing music,” said Flatiron Jazz Director Gerald Ganson. “But we do mix it up quite a bit with a wide variety of styles. We play everything from 50s to 60s music, 70s music and old-time waltzes. It’s stuff a lot of people will like to dance to.”

Flatiron Jazz also dabbles in rock and roll, country, polka, funk and Latin, which will be sure to complete their repertoire for the evening. “It’s semi-formal and one of the nicest events in town,” said Grant Harder, co-organizer and Flatiron Jazz member of the gala evening.

Each year Flatiron Jazz selects a charitable organization within the community to support. This year the proceeds will help support the Cranna Community Cultural Centre (C4) Initiative and the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation.

The C4 Initiative plans to build a multi-use facility for the community to celebrate the arts, support families, children and enhance the general well being of Lacombe and surrounding area residents.

“I would really like to see a dedicated performance space in Lacombe,” said Harder, noting that Lacombe does not have any proper space for musical theatre productions, music festivals or recitals.

The C4 facility is planned to house a large childcare facility, the Parent Link Centre and a performing arts venue. C4 is a partnership made up of the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation, Lacombe Day Care, Lacombe Family and Community Support Services and the City of Lacombe.

Past recipients of the funds raised during the Big Band Spring Swing Fling include the local food bank and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Ganson also acknowledges that supporting the C4 Initiative seems like a perfect fit, and ties in with performing arts aspect and the group’s mandate.

Since its inception over eight years ago, the gala has evolved from being a Valentine’s Day themed event to the current spring gala it is today.

The Big Band Spring Swing Fling will be held on April 11th at the Lacombe Memorial Centre (5214-50th Ave.) Cocktails are at 6 p.m. with dinner starting at 7 p.m. followed by the dance at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are $60 each and are available at Healing Hands Therapeutic Massage, Everything Nice and Sunny 94.

news@lacombeexpress.com