Steeped in tradition and a sense of patriotism, Dimensions in Blue, the jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force Band of the West, takes to the stage Thursday evening at Arkansas High School.

The concert, starting at 7 p.m. in the student union, will bring to town some of those old, big band standards that recall a bygone day.

“This is a jazz band that you might think of like a Glenn Miller-type big band,” said USAF Technical Sgt. Don Marchand, non-commissioned officer in charge of Dimensions in Blue, “and we’ll be playing music more contemporary ... all the way back to the music of the 1940s big band era.”

The first half of what’s typically a two-hour concert focuses on more contemporary pieces, while the latter half contains big band and patriotic music.

Numbers on the night’s program include “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes,” “Just Friends,” “A Night in Tunisia,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” “Tampico,” “I’ll Be Home” and “Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Dimensions in Blue is a part of the U.S. Air Force Band of the West, which has essentially been around since the creation of the U.S. Air Force.

“Its heritage even goes back to the Army Air Corps, which is the predecessor to the United States Air Force. It’s had several different name changes, the U.S. Air Force Band of the West, in its history. But that’s who we have been approximately the last 15 or 16 years,” said Marchand.

Dimensions in Blue performs for both the public and the U.S. armed forces.

“All the groups in our unit I would say perform for the public about 60 percent of the time, and the remaining time we support not only military bases and functions but also our military members who are stationed all over the world,” Marchand said.

Several members were recently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to play for the troops.

“We have approximately 22 members in the band and the entire Air Force Band of the West is comprised of about 50 members,” said Marchand, who is one of several jazz band members from Texas.

Different regions of the country have Air Force band programs set up, such as the USAF Band of the Golden West at Travis Air Force Base in California or the USAF Heritage of America Band based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

“There are several Air Force bands spread out throughout the United States and overseas as well,” Marchand said, noting members are full-time musicians for their stay in the Air Force.

Their days are primarily spent rehearsing for their tour shows, he said. Often, musicians who’ve signed on for the Air Force would rather play music for a living than teach, he said.

Marchand said Dimensions in Blue supports military members all over the world who often don’t have many other forms of entertainment while they’re deployed.

“It’s a way for us to represent the United States Air Force to the community,” added Marchand about the ensemble, which performs in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Over the years, Dimensions in Blue has performed with some serious stars in the music business—among them Toni Tennille, Lou Rawls, Dizzy Gillespie and Bob Hope.

The band has also played a variety of music festivals, including the Texas Jazz Festival, Texas Bandmasters Association Convention, International Association of Jazz Educators Convention and Galveston Jazz Festival.

Thursday’s concert is sponsored by the Texarkana, Ark., School District’s Instrumental Music Department and the Texarkana Gazette.

Concertgoers must have a ticket to attend the free concert and should plan to be seated 6:45 p.m. Although there are no more tickets available, if any seats aren’t claimed, walk-up requests will be seated at this time.

Arkansas High School is located in the 1500 block of Jefferson Avenue in Texarkana, Ark.