ALTON, IL – September 20, 2012 – Vocalist Jared Hennings will make a return engagement at Jacoby Arts Center, Saturday, Sept. 29. As an entertainer he has a broad base of experiences. For more than 10 years his ensemble presented music history programs for schools in Madison County and St. Louis. He has musical theater background as a touring company member with the St. Louis Black Rep and HistoryOnics Theater Co. (Missouri Historical Society). He has acted and sung with the Union Station Entertainment Company, Alton Little Theatre and Vintage Voices.
As a soloist he has been featured with the Alton Muny Band, Katherine Dunham School of Performing Arts, Missouri Botanical Garden and National Great Rivers Museum (Alton Lock & Dam). Close to his heart has been the enjoyment gained portraying Cab Callaway with the New Horizons Band and in variety shows at Lewis and Clark Community College.
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Hennings has been utilized in the Hayner Library performance calendar and United Methodist Village, singing ballads, jazz standards, Broadway show tunes, religious and love songs. He is looking forward to the opportunity to perform again at Jacoby in the LIVE at Jacoby: Saturday Nights program. Those in attendance can expect to hear some of his favorites like Ol’ Man River and Minnie the Moocher as well as some surprises. “The two hour time slot will allow me to focus on some music I haven’t performed in a while, but songs I really enjoy,” Hennings said. “I am looking forward to singing French songs, Autumn Leaves and La Vie En Rose as well as standards like Summertime and My Funny Valentine.”
The band accompanying Hennings has increased his excitement about the upcoming show. “The rhythm section is really tight with the husband/wife duo of Marty and Eric Johnson on piano and bass respectively, Waylon Schroeder, sax, and Peter Hussey, drums,” Hennings said. “I met the Johnson’s from a performance at the Unitarian Church, so there’s some familiarity there. Marty’s insistence on getting tunes right has matched my willingness to work on songs we’re preparing. She can play anything and provides me a sense of confidence, especially considering the number of songs we’re performing.”
Hussey is an associate music professor of music at Lewis and Clark Community College and is an extraordinary percussionist. He is a music/percussion educator and performer in the St. Louis area. His performance credits include Grammy Award Winners - Aretha Franklin, Peter Cetera, Arnie Roth and Maria Schneider, the Ballet Orchestra of St. Louis, and The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps. Schroeder, a middle school band instructor at Illini Middle School in Jerseyville, has played in local bands including Wherehouse Project, Alton Landing Jazz Quartet, Jay and Waylon acoustic duo, and various jazz and rock bands. He is versatile on alto, tenor and soprano sax, flute and guitar.
Hennings said having a musician who can add solo parts to various songs will be the difference maker for the concert. “The saxophone can act as another voice. I’ve never had the addition of a sax in a band, normally used to singing alongside a basic rhythm section – bass, drums, piano. Waylon, I’m sure, will get plenty of opportunity to demonstrate his ‘chops’ on all the wind instruments he plays,” he said. “And when you add Peter, who adds an uncanny feel and incidentals to percussions, the technical dexterity of Marty on piano and necessary bottom support of Eric on bass, I’m looking even more forward to the show. I suspect they’ll improve how I sing because they play so well.”
Jacoby’s doors will open at 6 p.m., and the music begins at 7. Admission costs $10 or $8 for seniors and students, and a beverage cash bar is available. Tickets may be purchased at Jacoby Arts Center, Halpin Music, Jerseyville Public Library, Wood River Public Library, or by phone at 618-462-5222. LIVE at Jacoby: Saturday Nights is sponsored in part by WBGZ Radio 1570 AM of Alton.
Located at 627 East Broadway in Alton, Illinois, Jacoby Arts Center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., late on Thursdays until 8 p.m., and closed on Sundays and Mondays. For more information, visit www.jacobyartscenter.org or call 618-462-5222.
Jacoby Arts Center is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster the artistic development and economic success of artists, and to expand accessibility to the arts through programs that promote education, participation and exploration.
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