Moving with the big band sound at March Gala

The big band sound hit Superior on Saturday night at the Mineral County Perfoming Arts Council’s March Gala featuring the Coeur d’Alene Big Band. 

This is the fourth year the council has hosted a March Gala at the Superior Elementary School gym. Tickets were $15 and included appetizers and desserts before the show began. 

“The band is about 70 years old,” Jim Goss, the host of the event said. “They aren’t just interpreting jazz standards – a lot of them lived through the time period.” 

After Goss thanked Mary Jo Berry and the kitchen crew for making the event a success, the Coeur d’Alene Big Band took the stage and took attendees on a musical tour through the big band era. 

The band is an 18-piece group that comes from all over the northwest and plays the greatest hits of the big band era. Songs familiar to all from artists like Glenn Miller and Ella Fitzgerald filled the gym with toe-tapping melodies. 

Throughout the evening several couples made use of the small dance floor in front of the stage to show off their best moves while the band played songs like “Jump, Jive and Wail.” 

“We find the different venue brings a different audience than our normal events at the LDS Church,” Goss said. “We hope that it makes them aware and excited about our other events throughout the year.” 

Highlights of the concert included the song “Besame Mucho,” where saxophone player Ron Farnsworth took a break from the instrument to sing as well as the “Song of India” that had a big feel and made you feel transported to a different era. 

Ruth Pratt is the featured vocalist in the band and dazzled attendees the entire evening by singing songs like “Time After Time,” made famous by Ella Fitzgerald and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which had a unique and beautiful sound coming from the big band. 

The Coeur d’Alene Big Band played for two hours  during the March Gala and it was an evening enjoyed by everyone in attendance.