Article Contributed by Dan Ward
Published on 2026-04-25
Red Hawk Jazz Collective | Photos: Courtesy of Mark Alstott
Teaching is a calling. Those who are born to teach cannot be deterred. This year, for the second time, Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan, hosted a Jazz Festival aimed at educating and enriching the community about music, and specifically jazz. Today, I went to see Danny Lopez, principal trumpet for the Elkhart Symphony and professor of jazz at Lake Michigan College, showcase his love of music through the people he has taught.
The Red Hawk Jazz Collective is LMC’s student/community jazz band. The group is made up of local students, retirees looking to enrich their lives, and professionals who, like Danny, want to spread their musical knowledge. Each semester, Danny draws on local musicians to fill out the band and ensure students have the experience of playing with a complete big band. Students fresh out of high school sit next to teachers, doctors, and architects, all sharing the joy of music. The band plays from a large and diverse catalog to capture the feel and style of this truly American art form.
The band started with a pair from the great Gordon Goodwin: “Count Bubba,” a nod to jazz’s Count Basie from Goodwin’s first release in 2001, and “Act Your Age” from the 2008 album of the same name. These two songs offered a wonderful retrospective of the four-time Grammy winner. “Count Bubba” featured four soloists, including two trumpet solos, trombone, and a bari sax ride, starting the concert with an exclamation point. “Act Your Age” featured two more soloists, including a particularly cool guitar solo by Guy Tardi.
The band slowed things down with a flugelhorn solo by Luis Sanchez. The emotional Cuban bolero exemplified the depth of knowledge Danny imparts to his students. Luis squeezed feeling from every note, while the band played a graceful supporting role, giving the entire song a lovely, complete feeling.
Next came “Samba Ti Kaye,” a modern take on the samba delivered with tasty brass and sax arrangements. The set finished with jazz royalty: Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher.” Calloway built a career around the song and helped make the Cotton Club the hot spot in New York. The audience was compelled to sing along with the call-and-response chorus, fully drawn into the show and clearly loving it.
The jazz band vacated the stage, and Danny’s other passion took over: the salsa band Lago Rojo Salsa, made up of Danny’s friends and centered around the talents of Andrew Thompson, the multi-talented arranger, composer, and leader of Calle Soul. The band came together to share the gift of salsa music with the community.
The group opened with “El Cuarto de Tula,” made famous by the Buena Vista Social Club recordings. The band delivered the song with strong Latin rhythm and solo work from Danny Lopez on trumpet and Scott Fisher on trombone. Talented vocalist Liz Reed gave voice to the second selection, “Los Cacos de Amor.” The band played tight salsa—the kind that gets people moving—and the audience responded to the powerful rhythms and blazing horn section. Danny and David Koch brought the over-the-top trumpet sound, while Scott Fisher and Jim Grubbs drove their trombones to the back wall. The sax section featured young Mason Stier on bari, alto, and clarinet, alongside the extremely talented Deanna Emmons on alto and soprano.
Songstress Lisa Chilton sang a sassy version of “Lilly” with its intoxicating mambo beat. Guy Tardi, local guitar master, shredded on the classic “Sofrita,” a song about Spain’s other gift to Latin culture—food. Out front with Guy sat the highly talented pianist Kim McCavitt, while Andrew Thompson kept the bottom end thumping on bass.
The band hit its stride and unleashed one of Thompson’s originals, “Tus Ojos” (“Your Eyes”), a slow-burning song of unrequited love. Liz Reed expressed the joyless sadness of the song while the trumpets roared with that unmistakable salsa sound. The percussion section had been working up a sweat all night. Jim Allen, Joe Trojan, Glenn McFarland, and Gary Griffith kept the beats driving, seemingly entranced by the rhythm themselves.
Deanna Emmons was about to change some opinions. Those who grew up thinking the soprano sax was a mushy cool-jazz oddity were left gobsmacked as she exploded on “Fiesta de Negritos.” Emmons shattered perceptions and ripped the roof off the Mendel Center with a fiery solo. The band cooled things down with a lovely laid-back version of “La Soledad,” sung by Lisa Chilton with special guest cellist Susan Dietrich-Reed.
Continuing to challenge expectations, the band delivered “Vehicle/Tu Carrito,” a mashup that spliced the 1970s hit “Vehicle” with Thompson’s salsa touch. It worked beautifully. The trombones got their spotlight on “Junio ’73,” an homage to salsa trombonist Willie Colón. A salsa version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” felt both familiar and brand new. Alexandra Lee handled keyboards on the tune.
The night ended with a world premiere Thompson original, “Amor Olvidado,” an endearing Latin-pop-salsa tune about forgotten love. The song was haunting and warmly received. Though the band said goodnight, the crowd pulled them back for one final tune, “Donde Estas Yolanda,” a perfect close to the evening.
Danny Lopez and the Lake Michigan College staff exceeded all expectations with this free event. The audience was exposed to several forms of jazz and music in general, and hopefully left with a deeper appreciation of the music and culture that play such a vital role in our lives.
Andrew Thompson’s music, including the album Pa’ La Calle, is available on Bandcamp and well worth the listen.
