Ballard Jazz Band to Compete at Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival in May

Jazz Band 1 one of 15 bands in the North America selected for prestigious high school jazz competition

April 27, 2018 -- Ballard High School’s award-winning Jazz Band 1’s epic year keeps getting better: the band is one of only 15 bands across the country selected to perform in the 23rd annual  prestigious Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival in New York May 10-12. Essentially Ellington is one of the most innovative jazz education events in the world.  The band will spend three days immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals and performances at the “House of Swing,” Frederick P. Rose Hall at Lincoln Center.
   The finalists were selected from 109 high school jazz bands across North America that entered the competition. Each school submitted recordings of three tunes performed from charts from Jazz at the Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington library. More than 4,600 high school bands are members of Jazz at Lincoln Center's 2017-18 Essentially Ellington program and benefit from free charts and resources.
       The invitation to Essentially Ellington comes on the heels of a year of non-stop successes and accomplishments for this outstanding student jazz group. On March 30, Jazz Band 1 was one of five Western Washington high school jazz bands selected to perform in Starbucks’ 23rd annual Hot Java Cool Jazz performance at the Paramount Theater for a sold-out performance.  Starbucks hosts this event annually as part of their ongoing commitment to supporting local youth. All proceeds from ticket sales directly benefit the school music programs, and Since 1995, this event has raised more than $625,000. Also in March (8-10), Ballard Jazz Band 1 was one of a handful of  bands outside of California selected to play at the Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey, CA. Ballard Jazz Band 1 joins Roosevelt High School and Mountlake Terrace high school jazz bands, the other Washington high school bands invited to Essentially Ellington. Stream the Performance Live at  https://academy.jazz.org/ee.  Ballard’s  Jazz 1 participates in part 3 of the competition on Saturday, May 12.
   Catch a local performance: See the Ballard High School Jazz 1, Jazz Band 2 and the choral group Vocal Jazz play at Jazz Alley on May 29. Doors open: 6 p.m.; Show starts: 7 p.m. Tickets, $26, are available online at .jazzalley.com/www-mobile/mobile-artist.jsp?shownum=4919 

About Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival (from the Essentially Ellington web site)
  The annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival is one of the most innovative jazz education events in the world. Each year, high school musicians from across North America travel to New York City to spend three days immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals and performances at the “House of Swing,” Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
     Held each May, the Competition & Festival is the culmination of the yearlong Essentially Ellington program, during which participating bands are invited to submit a recording and 15 finalists are selected through a rigorous screening process. Each finalist band receives an in-school workshop led by a professional musician before coming to New York to put up their “Dukes” and perform before Wynton Marsalis and a panel of esteemed judges. Past workshop clinicians have included trumpeter Terell Stafford; jazz educator Ronald Carter; Justin DiCioccio, director of Jazz Studies at Manhattan School of Music; saxophonist Loren Schoenberg; pianist and educator Reginald Thomas; Rodney Whitaker, Director of Jazz Studies at Michigan State University; and members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Among the past judges have been former Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra conductor and arranger David Berger; Gunther Schuller, who, according to All Music Guide, “is composer, conductor, horn player, jazz performer, writer, administrator, publisher, and teacher, all wrapped up into one tiny bundle of seemingly endless energy”; Pulitzer Prize-nominated jazz musician and composer David Baker; renowned drummer and big band leader, Jeff Hamilton; and, of course, Wynton Marsalis himself. The festival concludes with a concert and awards ceremony featuring the three top-placing bands and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

About Ballard High School’s Jazz Band 1

Jazz Band 1 is the premier jazz band at Ballard and is widely recognized as one of the Northwest’s top high school jazz bands. Accomplishments include prestigious invitations to perform at the Essentially Ellington competition in New York (2012, 2018), the Swing Central Jazz Festival in Savannah (2014), and the Next Generation Jazz Festival in Monterey, California (2015, 2018).  The band won 1st Place at the Mt.Hood Jazz Festival (2013) and is the only band to have been named an Outstanding Jazz Ensemble for three consecutive years at the UW Jazz Festival (2016, 2017, 2018). Jazz 1 has performed at Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival and has appeared multiple times on Starbucks’ “Hot Java Cool Jazz” concert, a performance extended by invitation only to the Seattle area's top five high school jazz bands.  Along with school concerts,  Jazz Band 1 and Jazz Band 2 perform annually at Jazz Alley, one of Seattle’s most prestigious jazz venues.

Check out this recent video performance from the Winter 2017 concert:  https://vimeo.com/channels/ballardmusic/246640863

About Ballard Performing Arts

The award-winning Ballard High School Performing Arts Program has gained regional, national, and international acclaim for their dynamic and inspired performances. The Music Department includes two concert bands, three concert choirs, two concert orchestras, percussion ensemble, two jazz bands, one jazz choir, multiple chamber ensembles and a marching band of nearly 200 musicians. The Theatre Department offers classes in Technical Theatre and Theatre I and II, while the Ballard Playmakers produce two plays and one musical theatre production each year.  More than  450 students – approximately one fourth of the school – participate in these music and theatre opportunities. Ballard Performing Arts sets a high standard of excellence for all students, ensembles, and productions while developing individual artistry through the study of high quality repertoire and exceptional performance opportunities. For more information: ballardperformingarts.org

Help support Jazz at Ballard High School
To ensure all students can afford to participate, scholarship funds are required. Scholarships are funded by donations. Please consider making a donation to support the program: email Band Director Michael James at mijames@seattleschools.org to donate directly.

Contact info: Michael James, Ballard High School Director of Bands: mijames@seattleschools.org; 206.252.1034