Mineral County students and the public will have the chance to take in a jazz concert and music appreciation class later this month.

“I'm excited not only to hear Jazz Legacy Project's interpretations of John Coltrane's music, but to learn more about his contribution to jazz and how it inspired other forms of music,” shared Jim Goss, Treasurer of the Mineral County Performing Arts Council.

“Drummer Justin Varnes is a jazz history teacher who is well equipped to illuminate this seminal period in music history. I was born in 1959, which also happens to be recognized as perhaps the most important year in jazz with the release of Miles Davis’s iconic Kind of Blue album which included Coltrane, as well as Coltrane's own Giant Step album which set the stage for a new era of chord progressions and improvisational style.”

Created in Alabama in 2015 after an epiphany Justin Varnes had while teaching a college jazz history course, the JLP combines education with entertainment. Each show features compelling stories about the artists and their influence on American music and culture woven in between authentic performances of popular jazz songs designed to engage casual audiences. 

Ditching a traditional textbook in favor of playing records and telling stories about the artists to audiences who knew little or nothing about jazz proved to be a big success. It turned out that performing the artists’ music and telling their stories in between proved to be an even bigger achievement. 

And that is what people will hear Wednesday, Oct. 30 in the LDS Church (151 Moats Lane in Superior) at 7 p.m. 

“For those who are interested in an appetizer, JLP will also be conducting an assembly at the Alberton Schools earlier in the day, beginning at 2:50 p.m., and ending at the end of their school day, 3:50 p.m.,” Goss said. 

Both performances are free to attend with donations appreciated after the evening one while enjoying snacks and beverages. Visit mineralcountyperformingartscouncil.org.-