Holiday event brings jazz downtown
By Guy Chapman – Navarro County Gazette
While 2020 has been an unpredictable year, some nostalgic and comforting musical traditions remain constant. Yuletide sounds will be jazzy and bright for an upcoming event 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Dec. 20 at Mita’s Coffee House, located at 216 N. Beaton Street.
For $30 a ticket, guests can attend A Swanky Jazz Party at Mita’s Coffee House, with live jazz music from The Zane Faulhaber Combo, a trio of musicians looking to provide a little holiday cheer in a cozy, though socially distanced setting.
“I wanted to try something different from last time, so I have two new individuals,” said musician Zane Faulhaber of his bandmates Alex Sifuentes (bass) and Cole Glover (drums and vocals). “One’s a long time buddy and bass player that’s a jazz aficionado, if you will, and I’ve got a newcomer named Cole that we’ve got on drums. He’s going to do some singing because he’s got a pretty remarkable voice.”
“We’re going to mix in some jazz standards, and then of course we’re going to do some Christmas songs that are jazz style, yet traditional to the ones we all grew up with and know.”
Planned selections will include “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “Christmastime is Here” in the style of Vince Guaraldi’s compositions from the 1965 animated television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
“It should be real fun, real laid back, and a different change,” Faulhaber said.
Prior to the jazz party, The Zane Faulhaber Combo will be performing Dec. 12 at Mimosas at the Market in downtown Corsicana’s Pocket Park.
Faulhaber’s wife Shana, who coordinates the musician’s bookings, believed the band’s time spent working on the holiday set would benefit from an encore performance in a new venue.
“Since they’ve worked so hard putting that set together, I had the thought ‘Why not be able to use that set again’,” Shana said. “I reached out to April (owner of Mita’s Coffee House) and said I had this idea about doing a swanky holiday jazz party.”
The response to the idea was well received. Though the coffee house will remain at 50 percent guest capacity per required distancing guidelines, guests will have their own individual charcuterie boards and cranberry sparkler drinks. Additionally, guests can bring their own champagne, beer, or wine.
“It’s going to be a very intimate gathering,” Shana said. “2020 has been kind of a whip, and I think that with most holiday parties being canceled, I wanted to be able to provide an opportunity for people to get dressed up and have a little of that more traditional holiday spirit that we’re used to.”
Though reservations are moving fast, interested party goers can e-mail shana@shanastein.com for tickets, or purchase at Mita’s.