In the midst of a busy week in a new semester, it’s always good to catch your breath and listen to some live music. On Tuesday, November 15, the Vestavia Hills High School Jazz Band hosted its annual mini-concert. The open-door performance was held in the band room, where family and friends were able to come in and watch. After about a dozen weeks of study and performance in jazz music, the jazz band carefully selected four curated tunes for the concert. Each piece represents an essential element of classic jazz adapted from performance pieces performed in the middle and late 1900s by bandleaders such as Glenn Miller and Ella Fitzgerald. Both band directors were present, with Mrs. Heather Palmer conducting and Mr. Jerell Horton sitting in on alto saxophone.
The jazz band’s concert starter “Little Brown Jug,” by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, is a classic rendition of big band swing most popular during the 1930s and 1940s. The tune featured two soloists: Andrew Vandyke on tenor saxophone and Alex Foster on trumpet.
Like “Little Brown Jug,” “Moonlight Serenade” is a ballad written and originally performed also by Glenn Miller’s big band. The ballad featured soloist Ashlyn Berry on clarinet. Despite performing primarily on tenor saxophone, Ashlyn also doubles on clarinet.
“Blue Skies” is an instrumental rendition of a recording by Ella Fitzgerald in 1958. The classic swing tune featured soloists Katherine Krontiras on keyboard and Joshua Hanje on alto saxophone.
The final song of the evening, “Cream of the Crop,” featured three soloists in an open solo section: Ben Spooner on electric guitar, Ashlyn Berry on tenor saxophone, and Andy Sheng on alto saxophone.
The jazz band will perform alongside the Vestavia Hills High School Concert Bands in a later Holiday Concert and in a full-length concert in the spring. Currently, the jazz band is working on holiday music and is occasionally instructed by Vestavia Alum and Samford Adjunct Instructor Michael Saddekni.
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