By Mary O’KEEFE

On Saturday, Feb. 12 the Crescenta Valley High School quad was transformed into a swing dance club with beautiful lighting floating from the trees to the dance floor, a table of food elegantly displayed, a paper moon photo booth and a jazz band that would make Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey tap their feet.

For about 15 years the CV instrumental music jazz event was not only a great fundraiser but a fun community event. In years past it was held in the school’s cafeteria, titled Jazz Night in the Café, but due to COVID-19 concerns the event was moved outside to the quad, where it actually seemed to work better, and renamed Jazz Night Under the Stars.

Large round tables surrounded the dance floor, the band sat behind its CV Jazz fronts on the stage and dancers from all ages put their best swing step forward under the stars.

“This is wonderful,” said Mat Schick, CVHS band director. “Is not too cold, not too hot.”

Schick praised the CVIM parents for all of their support and creativity as they went above and beyond for the event. For the entire history of the jazz night the Blood family has been part of the dance. Dena, husband David and their children could be found teaching swing dance at the beginning of the event. Unfortunately, the Bloods recently moved from La Crescenta.

“They are missed,” Schick said. “Dena was hoping to be here but the dates changed [often].”

Schick reached out to the community and found a dance instructor who taught those who were experiencing swing dance for the first time and others who needed a little refresher course.

Another issue was finding a dance floor to cover the quad’s cement surface. Schick found stored in a room an old dance floor that had been used by the CVHS dance company. The present dance instructor didn’t use it anymore and fortunately kept it.

“We put it down and it worked great,” Schick said.

The outdoor event was popular with 250 to 300 tickets sold.

“We sold out of our tables,” said Leila Bell, CVIM parent. Reserved tables were for two or four people.

Recently, CVIM was awarded a large matching grant of $30,000 for new drum sets, Bell said. On Saturday Mary Pinola of the Mary Pinola Foundation gave the band additional checks for mallets and jazz fronts. Schick said that additional support was a surprise and so appreciated.

The color guard had its own fundraiser at the event offering photos within the paper moon, with boas and fedoras, to add that little 1940s flash.

The band kept everyone happy, playing for hours for Jazz Night Under the Stars.

“The band prepared 34 tunes,” Schick added.

Big band music was the soundtrack to a generation that faced an uncertain future that included the Great Depression and seeing its sons marching off to World War II. The music played on Saturday night got that generation through a lot and now plays for current – and future – generations.