Many Central High School students attended the Swing Dance on January 21st at the Champaign Country Club where the jazz bands played music for their peers.
The Swing Dance helps fundraise for the Champaign Central music program. The music is played by students from around the Champaign-Urbana area. Students who aren’t in a band class also attend to support their fellow classmates and have fun.
The schedule was as follows:
6:00 – Franklin Middle School
6:30 – Central Lab Band
7:00 – Jefferson Middle School
7:30 – Central Stage Band
8:15 – Urbana High School
9:00 – Central Jazz Ensemble
For Central’s Lab Band, they played:
- American Patrol by F.W. Meacham
- Centerpiece by Harry “Sweets” Edison
- On A Misty Night by Tadd Dameron
- Go Daddy-O by Scotty Morris
- My Little Suede Shoes by Charlie Parker
- Bubba’s Pockets by Doug Beach
- Cruella De Vil by Mel Leven
- Alligator Boogaloo by Lou Donaldson
Immediately after the Lab Band started to play, people flooded the dance floor. Students and adults alike danced with friends, lovers, and peers. “I think overall we did really well,” Maeve Ellis, a sophomore at Central and trumpet player in Lab Band, described their performance. Students like Ozzie Decker, Essie Steinbacher, and Matthew Yim were followed by major applause after their solos.
While the Jefferson jazz band played, Central’s Stage Band warmed up. They played:
- Backburner by Carl Strommen
- Steppin’ Out With My Baby by Irving Berlin
- Flight of The Foo Birds by Neal Hefti
- I’m Beginning to See the Light by Don George, Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington, and Harry James
- Jericho by Mike Lewis
- The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern
- Bewitched by Richard Rodgers
- Heat Index by Matt Morey
- Orange Colored Sky by Milton DeLugg and Willie Stein
- I Can’t Get Started by Vernon Duke
- Limbo Jazz by Duke Ellington
- Emily by Johnny Mandel
- The Frim Fram Sauce by Joe Ricardel and Redd Evans
- Cold Duck Sauce by Eddie Harris
Songs Orange Colored Sky and I’m Beginning to See the Light were sung by sophomore Stella Mcloughlin. The crowd was very persistent in showing her how much they liked it by cheering as she sang with the band behind her.
Ava Kopolow, a sophomore at Central and saxophone player in Stage Band said that she thinks they “held together pretty well”. The audience tended to agree according to the uproar of applause after every song and solo.
To finish off the night, Central’s Ensemble played:
- In a Mellotone by Duke Ellington
- In the Mood by Joe Garland
- Zoot Suit Riot by Steve Perry
- It Had to Be You by Isham Jones
- Blue Skies by Irving Berlin
- Salt Peanuts by Dizzy Gillespie
- Sultry Sunset by Duke Ellington
- As Long as I’m Singing by Bobby Darin
- Rockabye River by Duke Ellington
- Begin the Beguine by Cole Porter
- All of Me by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons
- How High the Moon by Morgan Lewis
- Jumpin’ East of Java by Brian Setzer
- I’m Getting Sentimental Over You by George Bassman
- Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima
- Take the A Train by Billy Strayhorn
- Sweet Home Chicago by Robert Johnson
- Apple Honey by Woody Herman
Allison Williams sang Blue Skies and How High the Moon while Will Shim sang Jumpin East of Java and As Long as I’m Singing.
The Ensemble has quite a reputation for getting first place at Purdue Jazz Fest and EIU Jazz Fest.
Students like Shinjian Song, Evan Troyer, and Theo Wozniak got the crowd excited by playing solos followed with by shouts and applause.
Overall, the Swing Dance was a hit for people of all ages. Even people who aren’t in a band class attended. People from other schools other than those that performed also made an appearance, making it all the more inclusive and fun. The Country Club provided free drinks and cake that gave people the boost they needed to keep dancing. The fact that the music is being played by people that are similar ages to the onlookers adds a nice touch to the jazzy and comfortable ambiance of the ballroom. Eliza Schmit, a freshman at Central said that it was “better than homecoming.”
