The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Chouteau County Performing arts in partnership with Montana Flour and Grain Inc, The Pioneer Lodge and Ron and Dee Lohse, present Take 5, at 7 PM, Tuesday, February 21st at the Fort Benton Elementary School Auditorium.

There was a lyrical magic in the jazz melodies of the 1930's and 40's. Great song writers such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin, were combining beautiful stories with masterfully shaped melodies to create what became known as the "Golden Age of Jazz". The Take 5 quintet embraces this uniquely American art form to capture the spirit and festiveness of this era and beyond.

These talented, dynamic performers borrow from their extensive jazz roots and explore a varied program of music spanning a half century of jazz. Joyful, sultry and magnetic are words to describe the bands featured vocalist, Shirley Van Paepeghem, whose silky vocals breathe new life into classic hits popularized by some of her idols including Carmen McRae, and Sara Gazarek and Eva Cassidy. The repertoire of Take 5 includes a variety of classics like Autumn Leaves, My Favorite Things, Route 66, Take 5 and even more current R&B songs such as Just The Two Of Us, At Last, and Pick Up The Pieces. The group's name was borrowed from the 1959 hit by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

The core band members hail from Boise Idaho and a couple of them have been performing together since high school. Drummer Patrick Kurdy, is the president of the Idaho Jazz Society. When Quinn Van Paepeghem is not playing guitar with the band, he is the Director of vocal jazz at Boise State University while conducting high school clinics in the Northwest. Bassist Mike Seifrit's versatile musicianship has landed him 14 years of recording and touring performances. Vocalist Shirley Van Paepeghem enjoys teaching elementary music, adjudicating and conducting children's choirs throughout the Northwest. The newest member of the band saxophonist, Rob Verdi, is no stranger to Fort Benton. He has performed here on many occasions including Summer Celebration, CCPA events, fundraisers at the Grand Union, and even entertained residents at our local senior center. Rob tours with The Side Street Strutters and he performs each week at the Disneyland Resort.

The band's combined teaching experience with undergraduate and master's degrees offers them the ability to work effectively with students. Our local Chouteau County High School choir members will be joining Take 5 on stage as part CCPA's outreach program guaranteed to inspire young talent.

Admission is by CCPA season ticket or $15 at the door. All current Chouteau County students get free admission. For more information on this or other CCPA concerts please call 750-2918, 622-5677. CCPA concerts are presented in part by grants from The Montana Cultural Trust, The Montana Arts Council, WESTAF, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Montana Performing Arts Consortium and The Lippard-Clawiter Foundation.