Helen Daley
“Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,” (Jack Norworth) or better yet, come and listen to the performance by the Crackerjack Jazz Band on March 18, 2018, at the Crowne Plaza San Marcos Golf Resort in beautiful Downtown Chandler. The party is sponsored by the Arizona Classic Jazz Society. Cost is $15 for ACJS members; $20 non-members (become a new member on the 18th and get in free; yearly membership $35 couple, single $25). For more information, go to www.azclassicjazz.org or call 480-620-3941.
Crackerjack, by definition, refers to a person or a thing showing excellence. The Crackerjack Jazz Band presents some of the Valley’s most seasoned professional Dixieland musicians. Among those “crackerjacks” are leader Chuck Stewart (tuba) and Sun Lakes’ Cheryl Thurston (piano). Among Chuck’s many memorable appearances are the Ed Sullivan Show and Carnegie Hall. He has played in over 120 jazz festivals. Cheryl started playing stride piano at the age of 14 and is the most popular Dixieland pianist in the Phoenix area. She currently plays every Thursday at the Palo Verde Restaurant in Sun Lakes and Arizona Golf Resort in Mesa on Wednesdays. She plays in and leads many bands, including the Jammers at the annual Arizona Classic Jazz Festival and Jazzdagen Tours New Year’s cruises.
Then … right here in Sun Lakes, invited back by popular demand, the Great Banjo Summit starring Howard Alden, Tyler Jackson and Rob Wright (leader of the very popular Wildcat Jazz Band based in Tucson) will take place in the San Tan Ballroom on Tuesday, April 3. If you don’t already have your tickets, they are available at the Cottonwood Palo Verde Homeowner’s Office. Tickets are only $15 each, and this promises to be a memorable experience.