The Hot Springs Concert Band Fall Concert will feature a touch of New Orleans Jazz on Sunday, October 15, when famous Louisianan clarinetist Dr. Doreen Ketchens continues to make musical memories. You don’t want to miss this exciting event.
When I first heard that Doreen Ketchens was bringing her New Orleans Jazz to Hot Springs Village in the Hot Springs Concert Band Fall Concert this coming Sunday, I was (to say the least) very pleased. Well, actually I was very excited! Not only because she is a phenomenal musician but also because it carries me back to my musical roots. No, I am not a clarinet player in the band, but I do my best to play trumpet, and that effort began with a Dixieland group called the Dukes of Dixieland back in the mid-1960s.
The Dukes of Dixieland recorded an album in 1960 featuring clarinetist Pete Fountain, one of the all-time greats on the instrument. While the “Dukes” were a class act in their own right, Mr. Fountain’s musical genius and creativity embellished their music. I was so taken with this album that our neighbors who owned it (and patiently allowed me to play it about every time I was at their house) finally got tired of listening to it and gave me the record.
With the inspiration of the Dukes of Dixieland and Pete Fountain and a strong dose of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, I was off to a good start, and in the 50-plus years since, I remain so inspired. Then comes along Dr. Doreen Ketchens, evoking those foundational years and memories for me – playing with the same style and skill as Pete Fountain and others of such talent before him. However, based on what I’ve seen and learned, I would venture to say that Doreen’s gifts, versatility, love and passion for her music and fans exceed her contemporaries. I hope many of you will take advantage of the opportunity to see for yourself this Sunday.
I look forward to seeing the musical legacy of New Orleans and jazz itself come alive through Doreen Ketchens in the Woodlands Auditorium this Sunday, October 15. We may never pass this way again, so let’s not let this moment in life’s journey pass us by.
By the way, I still have that Dukes of Dixieland record, and I listen to it every now and again. Soon, it will also evoke memories of Doreen Ketchens in Hot Springs Village on October 15, 2023. The concert begins at 3:00 p.m. in the Woodlands Auditorium.
Meet Doreen this Sunday as she works her way into your heart, stirring earlier memories and creating new ones. The remaining tickets can be purchased at hotspringsvillage.thundertix.com.
By Jeff Olson
Doreen Ketchens et Saveurs du Sud Jazz Amarinois 2022
Click here to read Hot Springs Concert Band to Feature Doreen Ketchens.
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