They did it again! Agoura High School’s Jazz I will be attending the Essentially Ellington competition in New York for the third year in a row, this year led by director Bob Hackett. For a quick recap of the competition, fifteen bands are picked from the United States to travel to New York City and perform in the Jazz at Lincoln Center concert hall. This year, though, there are a couple of twists! To celebrate the 30th year of the competition, thirty bands have been selected to compete–including three international bands from Australia, Spain, and Japan.
What will the trip look like? Well, the students will fly to New York city on the sixth of May and leave on the twelfth, giving them a whole six days to learn, create, and explore the city! Jazz at Lincoln center will host events each day, but the members will have a chance to eat dinner at their favorite New York restaurants after and get lunch mid-day, as well as sightsee (and buy as many keychain souvenirs as they want). Jazz I will play their set on Friday, May 12th, the second day of the competition. If they place in the top ten, they will move on to play on Saturday as well! The final three bands will compete on Sunday May 14th. The challenge, though, is that every consecutive day of performing, the bands have to switch out a piece that they are playing. This means that Jazz I is preparing five pieces for performance, not just three!
In preparation, the band has been rehearsing every time they can. Sectionals take place every week–allowing each group of instruments to make sure that every note they play has nuance and purpose. Their last concert took place with Jazz II and III alongside Calabasas High’s jazz bands, and featured a very special guest artist, Christian Sands. Sands worked with every jazz band and provided immense inspiration and feedback for the ensembles. Overall, the band has been taking every chance they can get to practice performing.
It sounds like a lot of pressure, but thanks to Mr. Hackett’s dedication and support from the AHS music boosters, this wonderful trip will be a chance to show the world just how hard Agoura High School’s jazz program has been working.
