Big Band Bash revisits ’20s to ’60s hits

Do the sounds of yesteryear get your feet tapping? Then the Houma-Terrebonne Community Band’s annual Big Band Bash may be just your thing.

The Houma Municipal Auditorium is the scene for this year’s bash Jan. 31, from 8 p.m. until midnight. Tickets for the event are $10 a person in advance and $12.50 at the door.

This swinging bash with its “big band sound” is the Community Stage Band’s largest fundraiser of the year. For those who can really “cut the rug,” prizes will be awarded for dance contests in the waltz, the cha-cha and the jitterbug. And for those with “two left feet,” they can enter for the various door prizes that have been donated by local supporters.

The band will perform smooth waltzes and ballads, lively cha-cha tunes and jazz, and driving rock. This semi-formal event accommodates music-lovers of all ages. Adults may bring their own party foods and drinks. (Cups, ice, and soft drinks will be available for purchase).

Advance tickets are available at Fabregas Music Stores (985) 873-7461 or 446-7643, Hofman’s Music (985) 446-8742, Uni-Kut Hair Cutting (985) 868-8034, and any member of the Houma-Terrebonne Community Band. For reserved seating, call Brett Bourg at (985) 594-2266.

Proceeds from the event will be used to support the Houma-Terrebonne Community Band (HTCB), which is a non-profit organization that has provided musical entertainment in the area since 1984. The Big Band Bash has been a significant fund-raiser for the Community Band since 1986, along with its Anniversary Concert held every April.

In June, the Houma-Terrebonne Community Band delights audiences with its annual Flag Day concert “A Patriotic Celebration” dedicated to our veterans and men and women in the armed forces. The group also performs as the Community Stage Band, which is an arm of the HTCB and whose repertoire has grown over the years and includes well-known swing tunes, popular songs from the 1920s to the early 1960s, classics of groups formed by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Glen Gray, Les Brown, the Dorsey Brothers, and many danceable contemporary pieces.

Membership in the Houma-Terrebonne Community Stage Band is open. Band members on the saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, bass, guitar, drums, and keyboard perform the arrangements for this band’s style of music.

The band continues to perform for residents in nursing homes, telethons, community group-sponsored activities, conventions, meetings of various travel groups, school and church functions, parish government and school board-sponsored functions.

The stage band is available for playing banquets, festivals, dedications, conventions, holiday events, and other special events.

Big Band Bash revisits ’20s to ’60s hits