A great night of music with the “All That Jazz” Big Band!

Reader here, and I’ve gotta say… what a great time last night at the Painted Hand Casino.

If you weren’t there, you missed out on a great show, as the Yorkton Community Jazz Band, also known as the “All That Jazz” Big Band, took the stage in the show lounge for the 2025 Christmas show.

A lot of work went into rehearsals, setup and teardown, and ticket sales, to put on this year’s show, and all the effort culminated in a fun show, featuring lots of holiday favourites, and great performances from all members of the band, from instrumentalists to vocalists.

The best part was that we were able to perform in front of a sold-out crowd, that was ready to get into the spirit of the season.

Here’s a quick little taste of the concert, from my vantage point, in the back row of the band!  (They always put us trumpet players in the back, because we can be real loud when we want to be!  Haha!)

Look at that crowd!  It was great to see so many friends packing the place!

In addition to the band itself, we were joined by two fantastic vocalists, in Stephanie Andres and James Betts, who added another dimension, with their wonderful voices and stage presence.

Here’s the program, for those wondering what we played:

Here’s the program from last night’s show, featuring our setlist, soloists and band members!

A lot of great holiday favourites, right?

It’s hard to pick favourites, but “Christmas Time is Here,” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is tough to top, and I do love “Silent Night” and “Silver Bells.”

I also got to solo on “A Big Band Christmas” and “Merry Christmas, Darling” and “My Favourite Things,” so I’m pretty partial to those, as well!

I mentioned how the band as a whole played awesome.  The band is made up of members ranging in age from teens through seniors, from a number of communities, and we all get together every Tuesday night, under the direction of our intrepid leader, Larry Pearen, to make music together and create something great for everyone to enjoy.

The funny thing is, the folks that come to hear us play don’t get to hear the rough takes and bumps in the road, as we work on our music.  Sometimes, it can be a little rough, but as they say, practice makes perfect.  And it’s amazing how the band comes together and sounds fantastic when the stage lights go on and it’s show time!  Magic!

Now, I have good news!  If you weren’t able to make it to the Big Band show, there is another chance to hear us make music, as the Yorkton Community Concert Band has its Christmas concert coming up on December 7th!

This concert features more great Christmas music by the Yorkton Community Concert Band, the All That Jazz Big Band, and the Yorkton Community Concert Choir.

We’d love to see you come out and get into the spirit of the season with us!