On Thursday, March 4th, the Oakmont Jazz Ensemble travelled to Algonquin Regional High School to compete in the MAJE Jazz Festival. The MAJE Festival provides an incredible opportunity for the members of the Jazz Band to perform and receive feedback, as well as an informational workshop from some of the most experienced jazz educators in the region.
The jazz band performed three pieces featuring many different soloists, beginning with “Miss Missouri” by Benny Carter, then “Lush Life” by Billy Strayhorn, and to end the set, “Sruttin’ With Some Barbecue” by Lillian Hardin Armstrong and Don Raye. Throughout the performance, the ensemble was judged and graded by jazz educators Thomas Lizotte, Jeff Leonard, and Earl McDonald, who identified areas for improvement and scored the ensemble in different categories on a scale of 1 to 5.
After the jazz band finished performing, they moved into a separate room to do a clinic with one of the judges, Earl McDonald from the University of Connecticut. There, he gave them excellent advice and feedback on their performance.
To end the afternoon, the jazz band received their score and medal for their performance. The Oakmont Jazz Ensemble received a silver medal with an invitation to the MAJE State Finals. Along with being awarded a silver medal, MAJE also recognized three members of the ensemble as MVPs, including seniors Nolan Leclair on piano, Gavin Stone on drums, and AJ Lasorsa on trombone.
Future events for the Oakmont Jazz Ensemble include the MAJE State Finals at Coackley Middle School on Saturday, March 14th, as well as District Jazz Night, here at Oakmont on Thursday, April 16th.
