The roots of jazz began in New Orleans and stretch as far back as 1819. Over 200 years later, the genre is alive and well, especially at North Allegheny.
Here at NASH, the jazz program looks to continue the legacy and history of jazz not only through the rehearsal of standard pieces, but also lessons that teach students about important jazz musicians. During rehearsals, students spend time with Mr. Stefan, the band director, exploring the jazz “feel” as well as the various sub-genres of jazz music.
“I think all of our bands at North Allegheny are special and unique,” Stefan said. “I think what separates our Jazz 1 from other high school jazz bands is that we play mostly professional charts as they were played by the finest big bands in the world.”
These bands include Count Basie, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, and others.
“Another thing that makes our Jazz 1 program unique,” Stefan added, “is the attention to the correct style. One thing that music educators and professional musicians from across the country have said about our jazz program, is how amazed they are at the accuracy to the style that we play with.”
This is Stefan’s 22nd year teaching Jazz 1, the most advanced band in the program, at North Allegheny. The program at NA also includes two other bands: Jazz 2 and Jazz 3.
Stefan elaborated on the charts for the upcoming concert.
“’Splanky’ is a staple from the Count Basie Orchestra written by Neal Hefti. ‘Brother Ray’ is a great Latin chart by Michael Philip Mossman. ‘Secret Love’ is a standard that has been played by many of the jazz greats. ‘Two Seconds to Midnight’ is a great funk chart by one of my favorite writers and good friend Alan Baylock. ‘Blue Skies’ is an old standard with a nice twist in that it alternates between the samba and swing styles of jazz as well as having a nice shout chorus. I like them all. It’s hard to choose a favorite!”
Students wanting to learn the intricacies of jazz must dedicate themselves in order to have the proper technique to allow them to perform properly. Top tubas and trombonists Adam Briggs and David Willey are two of the standouts in the band this year.
Willey explained that he dedicates his time to jazz “because it is one of my favorite genres of music. The chance to play jazz at an advanced level with other students is an opportunity I wouldn’t want to miss.” He goes on to say, “My favorite part of jazz is how unique and different it is from other musical genres. There are various distinct sub-genres and every song and rehearsal can sound unique. My favorite song for the upcoming concert is ‘Secret Love’ because it features our section and sounds great.”
For Briggs, studying jazz is more than just for recreation.
“It will help give me the unique skills needed to be a qualified musician and teacher,” he said. “I love how many different styles of jazz there are. Latin jazz is my personal favorite, but other genres like blues and rock jazz are great as well. Overall, my favorite chart coming up is ‘Two Seconds to Midnight’ by Alan Baylock. It’s in a unique key signature, and I feel that anyone would enjoy its rock-like feel.”
For those who wish to see what North Allegheny’s talented jazz musicians have to offer, the concert will be at 7:00 PM at Marshall Middle School on the night of January 31st. See you there!
