The Communique

Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: A&E

Media Credit: Henry Kaufmann Combo members practice for the Blues Concert on Sept. 29. Members include AJ Vens, lead guitar; Angie Peck, bass; Tony Norris, guitar; Austen Petersen, percussion; Austin Owens, percussion; and Ben McCartney, piano and trumpet.

The musical acts that have performed in Ballantyne Auditorium throughout the years have included some of the biggest names in the local, national and international jazz scenes.

Those musicians have performed alongside Kirkwood Community College student instrumental combos, vocal ensembles and the CR Big Band.

This year the music department is kicking off in a different direction with a Blues venue featuring internationally acclaimed vocalist and Iowa native Ernie Peniston.

Peniston grew up in Muscatine but got his break after moving to Minneapolis in 1975. He has been in the music business for 40 years and has performed along side such acts as Prince, The Temptations and James Brown.

He was most recently honored in 2004 when he was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.

Not only will the legendary blues man be performing on stage at Kirkwood but playing along side him will be the Kirkwood Jazz Ensemble, the Kirkwood Jazz combos and the CR Big Band.

Ben McCartney, a trumpet player for one of Kirkwood's Jazz Combos, expressed his enthusiasm for the performance. "It's pretty cool to play along side someone of that caliber. It's also good to know that Kirkwood can get the big acts to play here."

McCartney's combo will be playing songs such as Stevie Ray Vaughan's take on "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Last Dance With Mary Jane" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers.

The one-day only concert is scheduled for Sept. 29 at Ballantyne Auditorium and is free to all faculty, staff and KCC students with an EagleCard.

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