KPLU Local News
(2010-05-10)
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Clarence Acox leads the Garfield High School jazz ensemble at the Essentially Ellington jazz festival in New York City on Monday.
Photo by Florangela Davila, KPLU
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Garfield High School had the earliest performance time out of all 15 bands at the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Festival and Competition. Ten in the morning. On a Monday. The musicians wore black tuxes and black shirts - black dresses for the girls. And for 20 minutes the Garfield jazz ensemble swung hard.
Twelve hours later -- after a 2 day competition and hundreds of hours worth of rehearsals - Garfield clinched top honors at the nation's most prestigious jazz festival. It's Garfield's second consecutive win and a record breaking fourth victory, the most of any school in the festival's 15 year history.
The victory is merely proof of some serious commitment to playing jazz, said James Squires, a senior who plays the drums.
"This is a testament to what hard work and dedication gets you in life,right here. This is the hardest working band. I mean, every day during lunch, every day after school. This band is in the band room taking care of business!"
Northwest schools have deep jazz roots and they've routinely been a presence at the Ellington festival. This year, Edmonds-Woodway High School and Roosevelt High School - who's won Ellington three times - joined Garfield in the round of 15.
A panel of jazz luminaries singled out individual players from both Edmonds and Roosevelt. Roosevelt took honorable mention in the competition.
But it was Garfield's Clarence Acox who led his students in a tight, dynamic show of musicianship while in New York. And though he remained laid-back he looked happy.
"The kids feel great. The parents feel great. It's a lot of work. A lot of hard work. A lot of effort put into it. We're just enjoying the moment. It never gets old."
Last night Acox and the parents planned to celebrate at a restaurant with food and drinks. And the Garfield students, well, they were last seen basking in the glow of the fountain at Lincoln Center. Florangela Davila. KPLU News New York.
Photography by Glenn Nelson. All rights reserved.
More Information
Essentially Ellington Results Press Release (PDF)Previous Updates
Late Monday Update: Seattle's Garfield High has won the top prize at the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Festival in New York. This is the fourth time Garfield has taken first place in what is considered the nation's most prestigious event of its kind. Roosevelt High School took honorable mention. Edmonds-Woodway High School competed as well, along with a dozen other bands from across the country.From earlier Monday:
Garfield High is in the finals of the nation's premiere high school jazz competition. Garfield beat out rivals Roosevelt High School, and Edmonds-Woodway - and a dozen other schools - to make it into the top three of the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Festival in New York. The Garfield musicians, still dressed in their all-black performance tuxedos, hugged and high-fived.
"I'm elated right now. I'm on top of the world," said Garfield senior Chris Perkins. "You know, This is the culmination of a year's hard work. It feels so sweet. It's awesome."
Garfield is the defending Essentially Ellington champion. And if it wins, it will be a record-breaking fourth victory for the Seattle school.
Judges considered a band's technique, its soloists and its ability to improvise. Garfield now faces Foxboro High from Massachusetts and Dillard from Fort Lauderdale for first place.
The winner will be announced tonight [Monday]. KPLU's Florangela Davila is at the festival and will have a complete report tomorrow on Morning Edition.
