Jazz Night promises a swinging good time
Glenn Miller, welcome back.
The Skyroom, located in the Taggart Student Center, will transform into a classic 1930s jazz club for USU’s annual Jazz Night this Friday and Saturday night.
“It’s a fancy setting,” said Walker Stahle, conference coordinator for the University Inn. “We have a large stage, all the performers are dressed up and catering does centerpieces for the era.”
Stahle said even the waitresses are dressed to the nines in ’30s-style clothing complete with red lipstick. University Inn Assistant Director Stephanie Pettingill said most attendees usually dress up in period-style clothing as well.
“You get to see all the older people in fancy glittering dresses,” Pettingill said.
Stahle said this is the fourth Jazz Night to take place at USU, and activities include a dinner, performance and plenty of dancing. On both nights, Stahle said the USU Jazz Ensemble and Orchestra will be playing a variety of songs made famous by artists like Miller and Billie Holiday.
It’s only fitting that songs by Miller would be featured, since Jazz Night got its start as a result of an old USU tradition named after the famous musician. Pettingill said the university used to hold an event similar to Jazz Night. It ran for six weeks, and Pettingill said it was booked solid every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“When Glenn Miller ended, people still wanted something,” Pettingill said. “So we thought this would be a way to do that.”
Pettingill said so far Jazz Night has been a great success, and Stahle said it could not be done without the partnership of the USU music department, USU Catering and the University Inn.
Although Stahle said they are trying to recreate the same atmosphere of previous Jazz Nights, this year they will be offering swing dance lessons one hour prior to the event for Jazz Night attendees who want to learn some moves for the dance floor.
Tickets for Jazz Night are $38 per person for dinner, entertainment and plenty of dancing. For $149.95, couples looking for a weekend getaway can buy a package that includes two tickets to the jazz night of their choice, an overnight stay at the University Inn and a catered breakfast the next morning. Stahle said it is a great deal, since reservations to the University Inn alone can be around $76.
Although people come from all over Utah for the event, Pettingill said it’s a great way for Logan residents to take a mini-vacation, as well for Valentine’s Day weekend.
All proceeds from Jazz Night will go toward the Larry Smith Jazz Scholarship, a scholarship Stahle said was created especially for USU music majors.
For those who can’t make it to Jazz Night, Pettingill said the University Inn will be hosting another event called Beatnik Night on March 28. Poets from Salt Lake and Boise will team up with USU students and professors for poetry readings and refreshments. For $5, students get admission to the event as well as handmade mugs created by the ceramic guild.
Pettingill said the event was so popular last year that there was standing room only in the Skyroom.
“We don’t make a lot of money of these events,” Stahle said. “It’s really just a way for the campus and community to become involved.”
Stahle said tickets for Jazz Night will be available for purchase up until the morning of Feb. 15. For more information on either event, call 1-800-231-5634.