The Los Alamitos High School Jazz Program participated in the Western States Jazz Festival held at Upland High School on Saturday, Feb. 27. Competing against several of the top High School Jazz programs in the area, the Griffin musicians more than held their own—they made their mark. Jazz 3 (beginning) earned 3rd place, Jazz 2 (intermediate) earned 4th place, and Jazz 1 (advanced) took 4th out of 10 schools and was fewer than two points away from taking first place. Combo 1 took 3rd and Combo 2 took 1st in their respective divisions. Jazz 3 earned Outstanding Saxophone Section, for demonstrating their skills in rhythm, tone, timbre and cohesion.
One of the most impressive accolades was that 12 Los Al students were recognized with Outstanding Soloist Awards across all of the combos and bands. While learning challenging music and performing it live is itself a major accomplishment, improvising a solo in the same setting is even more impressive. A piece of music is highly reliable considering students can see the notes on the page, see the chord changes, tempo, key signature, and feel confident that they can read the music while playing it. However, soloing, or improvising, does not provide such security and comfort. In essence, a musician “makes it up” on the spot as the music is played. And, the difference between a mediocre solo and one that warrants accolades is significant.
Los Al students have been fortunate to work under the direction of Mr. Robert Harrell this past semester and have spent a significant amount of time on the art of improvising. Harrell said, “Anyone can learn to do it. Students just need confidence and opportunities to get better. The achievement of this past weekend is clear proof that Griffin Jazz students are reaching new heights” Harrell added, “I am proud of the way the students played and the improvements they made in all categories.”