Above: The Algonquin Jazz I Ensemble on stage last week (photo by Sue Teplansky)
Two Algonquin jazz bands took part in the annual Massachusetts Association for Jazz Educators (MAJE) district festival last week, and both offered performances that impressed the judges. Jazz I took home a Gold rating, while Jazz II got High Silver.
Led by Eric Vincent, Jazz I played a 3-song set, that ending with what the Northborough-Southborough Music Association aptly described as an “all-out, burn-the-place-down performance” of Tower of Power’s “What is Hip.” The set featured solo performances by Kyle Champeon, John Arnold, Connor Jenks, and Chris Lang. (If I missed any soloists, please shout them out in the comments below.)
The performance earned Jazz I a Gold rating, their first since 2009, and a trip to the MAJE state finals in Framingham on Saturday. At the state festival, Algonquin will compete against ensembles from nine other high schools, including Marlborough which also had a strong showing at the district finals at Algonquin last week.
Saturday’s state finals take place at Framingham High School, and the public is invited to attend. Algonquin takes the stage at 11:00 am. You can see the full schedule here.
Dennis Wrenn would be proud! :)