The Hays High School Jazz Ensemble joined the Fort Hays State University jazz ensembles Thursday evening in a season closer that made the audience stand up and cheer.

Hays High, directed by Craig Manteuffel, offered a varied program. The raucous "Aftershock" by Larry Barton woke us all up in style. Chuck Mangione's mellow "Feels So Good," arranged by Victor Lopez and featuring Megan Bailey on flugelhorn, was one of the hits of the evening. Manteuffel mentioned that one of their sax players discovered their last number, Michael Philip Mossman's "The Raider Returns," on the Internet. With its handclapping and drum solo it was a real winner.

It was gratifying to note that the difference between the Hays High group and the FHSU ensembles is really not all that great. And FHSU's Jazz Ensemble II sounds almost as good as the more experienced Jazz Ensemble I. Director Brad Dawson has assembled a large number of talented musicians and trained them very well indeed.

Jazz Ensemble II began with the big band sound of "Double Dribble" by Lennie Niehaus, a veteran of the Stan Kenton band and longtime associate of Clint Eastwood. My favorite of their set was John LaBarbera's "Dancing Men," which featured a very catchy repeated theme attached to an insistent rhythmic pattern and a big drum solo by Austin Barnes.

Then Jazz Ensemble II took over for the rest of the concert. Like Jazz Ensemble I, they began with a big band number, Don Menza's "Burnin' (Blues for Bird)." Though "Bird" (Charlie Parker) played sax, this arrangement featured Jonathan Yust on trumpet. "Manteca," Dizzy Gillespie's Afro-Cuban-bebop masterpiece, ended the set in style with an arrangement by Mike Tomaro that showcased a fine interplay between tenor sax (Brian Keller) and alto sax (Ethan Kinderknecht).

After intermission, Ensemble II continued with "Knarf" by Maynard Ferguson (written for baritone saxophonist Frank Hittner -- Dawson explained that "Knarf" is "Frank" spelled backward). Michael Abene's arrangement featured no baritone sax solo, but made up for this with good parts for trumpet (Yust), guitar (Chad Foust) and tenor sax (Keller). The next number, "Here's That Rainy Day" by Jimmy van Heusen, arranged by Dee Barton, starred the whole trombone section plus a tuba (trombonist Chris Barlow doubled).

Dawson took a moment or two to honor longtime ensemble members who are graduating. We will all miss drummer Kyle Brown -- "there are drummers, and then there's Kyle Brown." The same might be said of ace trumpeter Nathan Frye. Trombonist Chris Barlow is off to serve our country in the armed forces.

They then concluded the concert with a touch of humor -- Andy Weiner's "When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go." And, despite our fervent pleas for an encore, they went.

The next event in the FHSU series is a guest piano recital by Nathanael May at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center, and the Hays Symphony Orchestra and Choir concert will be 7:30 p.m. May 2 also in Beach/Schmidt.

Ruth Firestone is a supporter of music and theater in Hays. rfiresto@fhsu.edu