Music lovers who attend the Great Bend Jazz Festival on Saturday evening may see a familiar face in the 312th Army Jazz Band from Lawrence. Katie Sperry from Larned — make that Sgt. Katie Sperry from the U.S. Army Reserves, will play tenor saxophone.
The free concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at the Crest Theater, 1905 Lakin Ave. Doors open at 7 and the Great Bend High School Jazz Band will play at that time.
Sperry is the band director at Larned High School and Larned Middle School.
“I’m hoping some of my students from band and my family will be there,” she said, noting this is a great opportunity for music lovers in central Kansas. “It’s really hard to hear really good jazz groups.”
That was the thinking when local music lovers organized the first Great Bend Jazz Festival in 1994, said Great Bend attorney Robert Feldt. This is the 23rd festival which, over the years, has featured talented musicians and singers — some local and others nationally known — such as Frank Mantooth, Karrin Allyson, Kevin Mahogany and Marilyn Mae.
“My fondest wish is for people to bring their children or grandchildren to a musical performance,” Feldt said.
The Larned band director said her own love of music started at an early age. “It’s something I always enjoyed and it’s been my passion,” Sperry said. She earned a degree in music education from Fort Hays State University before coming to Fort Larned USD 495 in 2012.
Sgt. Sperry said she also decided, at age 30, that she wanted to do something more in life, which is why she joined the Army Reserves.
Sgt. 1st Class Chris Reynolds, who directs the 312th Army Jazz Band, said the 312th’s full Army band is 40 members strong — all trained soldiers as well as musicians. “The jazz band is a smaller group and we will be bringing 18 musicians with us to Great Bend,” he said. Within that group is a six-member ensemble, The Iowa Street Jazz Combo, that plays cocktail music and other numbers at events such as dinners.
Cost of admission on Saturday is free thanks to the concert’s sponsors, which include the Great Bend Jazz Festival, Barton County Arts Council and the Great Bend Tribune. Other major sponsors are CUNA Mutual Retirement Solutions and the Great Bend Kiwanis Club.
