Dr. Jim Payne
Jazz Rock Ensemble director, 308.865.8606
The University of Nebraska at Kearney Concerts on the Platte series presents a concert featuring the Platte River Jazz in the Fine Arts Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25.
The concert will feature entertaining, easy-to-listen-to jazz from the 1920s to the 1990s, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, cool/west coast, fusion, jazz-rock, rhythm and blues, and bossa nova and samba, according to Dr. Jim Payne, UNK professor of music and director. The concert is free and open to the public.
The concert selections come from artists such as Woody Herman, Joshua Redman, Chuck Mangione, John Williams, Chicago, the Jazz Crusaders, Tom Scott, Gerry Mulligan, the Young Rascals and others.
Performers with Platte River Jazz include UNK faculty and staff members Dr. Jim Payne, professor of music, director, arranger, trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn; Dr. Ron Crocker, music professor on percussion; and Bonnie Payne, events coordinator, bass and vocals. Non-UNK ensemble members include Greg Tesdall, Good Samaritan Hospital, on flute, tenor sax and soprano sax; Greg Sales, manager at Yanda’s Music, guitar; and Steve Lungrin of Lungrin’s Can Fit You on keyboards and vocals.
All of the musicians play with other groups in addition to the Platte River Jazz. Dr. Payne is a classical trumpet soloist. In addition, he directs UNK’s big band, the Jazz Rock Ensemble, and his own professional band, the Millennium Big Band. Dr. Crocker plays drums in several area groups and has directed the Kearney Area Symphony Orchestra. Bonnie Payne plays bass in various worship teams at New Life Assembly church in Kearney and occasionally with the Reprise Big Band and the Millennium Big Band. She also plays guitar and sings at numerous Walk to Emmaus gatherings in Nebraska. Tesdall plays flute, tenor sax and soprano sax in a number of groups including Wild Clover, Yikes!, Thalken-Tesdall-Thalken, Mainstreet, and the duo Tesdall & Adams. Sales plays guitar in Fear of Flying, a performing cover band. Lungrin performs as a pianist and singer around the Kearney area.
