Take a moment to YouTube “”Fascinatin’ Rhythm”” or “”Lover man.”” While you’re groovin’ to the beat, imagine that same melody multiplied by ten, and place it in 2009 – reupholstered big band tunes, come and get ’em folks! That’s what’s happening the evening of April 22 at Crowder Hall. Instead of sitting in front of your computer and puttering on a website, you can head over to the Music Building and see something live – and free – just like watching it on youtube, only better.

“”They’re all energetic, thriving tunes,”” said director and assistant music professor Moises Paiewonsky. “”More kind of fireworks.””

“”With every big band performance I try to choose as diverse and varied a repertoire as possible,”” said Paiewonsky.

Don’t think just because you aren’t a jazz buff or closet saxophonist that an evening spent among swing beats and fast notes is too much for you to handle. “”Everything in this concert is based on fairly traditional tunes that have been creatively arranged,”” said Paiewonsky. “”They’re more mainstream.””

And what’s more, the performers are passionate about it. “”Our director allows us to make suggestions about what we’d like to play, so we get excited about the music too,”” said alto saxophonist junior Kaitlyn Meiss. “”Come and forget about finals and enjoy some good music.””

And here’s a little-known fact for you: the jazz ensemble is hand-picked (through auditions) and tossed into a mixed salad of various instruments, experience levels and ages ranging from 18 to 40. “”Being in the ensemble taught me to get used to playing with people from different backgrounds and experience levels,”” said trumpet senior Michael Flory. “”Adam Ackerman, our drummer, is a freshman, and he’s the best drummer we’ve had in four years.”” Goes to show it’s not about the number – it’s about the talent, and the UA Jazz ensemble has a lot of it.

So take a break from that stack of unwritten papers and propped open biology books; why not dedicate a couple hours to finding some peace of mind in some free beats on campus. Maybe some fascinatin’ rhythm is all you need to get through the rest of the week.