Spokane’s youth are keeping the spirit of jazz alive and well, as displayed during the Jazz in the Air Imagine Jazz Festival.
Most Sundays, Riverfront Park is relatively quiet with the river meandering and daygoers chatting up and down the many walkways. But this past Sunday, the park was teeming with the sounds of brass solos, rolling arpeggios, strong accents and the soul found within swing.
The festival was held in conjunction with the city’s ongoing Expo ’74 50th Anniversary Celebration and was organized by one of the city’s premier musicians and jazz enthusiasts, Rachel Bade-McMurphy.
“Imagine Jazz was founded to stimulate and inspire the local community,” said Bade-McMurphy, who knew the Expo celebrations would be the perfect fit for one of Imagine Jazz’s many locally based events. “I thought, ‘Let’s have a jazz festival! Let’s include 10 bands, let’s get the students playing, let’s get the professionals playing, all as a community celebration.’”
Many of Spokane’s best jazz musicians took to the stage throughout the day, but the event was kicked off in impressive fashion by two Spokane All-City Jazz Ensembles (SAJE): the SAJE All-Star Middle School Big Band and the SAJE All-Star High School Big Band. Read Full Article Read Full Article
At Holy Names Music Center on Tuesday nights, notes bounce off the walls. It’s filled with a vibrant energy created by high school jazz students as a song develops and shifts.
The tune is never the same twice.
Drummer Olin Young counts off the band. He said he keeps playing jazz because “it feels good.”
Young, an incoming senior at Coeur d’Alene High School, dedicates time to be a member of the Herbie Hancock band, the most skilled group of the Spokane All-City Jazz Ensembles.
To commemorate 20 years of teaching jazz to young musicians, Spokane All-City Jazz Ensembles is holding a lawn concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening at Holy Names Music Center.
The group began as one big band for high school students but has since expanded to multiple ensembles and classes with guest artists and community performances.
Both middle and high school students can participate. Many members of the Herbie Hancock group have been with Spokane All-City for years.
“This program specifically is like the wide-open window into the jazz world as it actually is,” said Thomas Stenzel, a recent Lewis and Clark High School graduate who plays many instruments and has been a part of the group for three years. “It’s been beneficial to stick with these coaches as the best producers of jazz in the area.” Read Full Article
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