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If you go

n When: 6:30 p.m., Nov. 19

n Where: Harper-McNeeley Auditorium

n Admission: Free tickets available at The Inter-Mountain

With the sounds of swing, the hop of bebop and many other musical styles filling the air at Harper-McNeeley Auditorium, the Jazz Ambassadors will end its fall 2009 tour with a free concert in Elkins on Nov.19.

In cooperation with the Elkins High School Jazz Band, Davis & Elkins College and The Inter-Mountain, this free concert will kick off the high school's jazz festival. The prestigious group has performed in all 50 states and in various countries. The Jazz Ambassadors has been major parts of international jazz festivals including the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands. Also, according to the group's Web site, Jazz Ambassadors performed across Europe to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.

"The Jazz Ambassadors are one of the premier service jazz bands in America," Elkins High School Band Director Jeff Caplinger said. "They're just now coming off a tour and we were lucky that they wanted to add us to the tour."

Formed in 1969, the 19-member ensemble is billed as the nation's jazz band. As the United States Army's "premier big band," the Jazz Ambassadors has received acclaim within the U.S. as well as abroad.

Approximately 1,000 free tickets will be available in advance of the show to the general public for a limited time at The Inter-Mountain. Tickets will also be available at the door. The concert is at 7 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., one of the Elkins High School jazz combos, Elkins and Vicinity, will serve as the warm-up band.

"We want to give some of our best musicians the opportunity to be on the same bill with a nationally renowned band," Caplinger said.