Musicians win first place at Reno Jazz Festival
Morgan Hill – Live Oak High School’s jazz band has won first place at the Reno Jazz Festival and Sobrato High’s jazz band, though in their first year, is already heating up the city.
Lovers of jazz music in Morgan Hill should be thrilled with the news that the genre is alive and flourishing in Morgan Hill schools.
While many people in the community think of the Live Oak High School Emerald Regime Marching Band as the award-winning music program at the school, Band Director Greg Bergantz is quick to point out the other successful groups in the program.
During the past 30 years there have been regional, state, national and Western Band Association championships from Live Oak’s marching bands, but the school has also garnered two nominations for best student orchestra by the American Musical Theater of San Jose.
This year one of the school’s two jazz ensembles came home with a first place trophy from the Reno Jazz Festival, Bergantz said. “That’s huge in the jazz world.”
The ensemble performed the following songs: Mueva Los Huesos, “Shake Your Bones,” by Gordon Goodwin, as recorded by the Big Phat Band (soloists: Arvin Paredes, senior, soprano sax; Mark Williams, junior, trumpet); Lush Life by Billy Stryhorn, arranged by Eric Richards (soloists: Jessie Henry, senior, vocal; Katherine Soult, senior, tenor sax); Hunting Wabbits, by Gordon Goodwin, as recorded by the Big Phat Band (features sax section and trombone section; soloists: Bobby Frey, senior, trombone; Arvin Paredes, senior, soprano sax).
Live Oak junior Mark Williams, 17, has been a part of the success of the Emerald Regime and now the jazz band’s triumph.
“Marching bands are more strict, all about technique and precision,” he said. “With jazz, it’s like you hang out and have fun playing music with your friends. It’s a really fun group. We all get better together, just great friends playing great music.”
The music must be great, because when Mark and other jazz band members attended the Reno Jazz Festival, they were competing with over more than 330 middle school, high school and college groups.
Participating bands are assigned to a category based on school enrollment, Bergantz said, and there are at least eight different categories with approximately 15 to 20 bands in each.
The Live Oak Jazz Ensemble II, which is the evening jazz band, won first place in category D, Bergantz said, while the morning band, the Live Oak Jazz Ensemble I, placed eighth is category C.
“They really played well but had some fierce competition,” said Bergantz.
Some of the Live Oak students were recognized with Individual Musicianship Awards, including Williams for trumpet, Bobby Frey, senior, for trombone, Jessie Henry, senior, for vocals, Paul Anderson, sophomore, for drums, Daniel Costa, junior, for bass trombone and Arvin Paredes, senior, for soprano saxophone.
For Live Oak sophomore Jacquie Tolson, 16, performing with the jazz ensemble is all about fun. She makes time in her schedule during marching season to fit in the Emerald Regime and is happy to make time to play her trumpet with the jazz band.
“I love the music, it’s so much fun,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of friends.”
While she enjoys the Emerald Regime, she described it as “defined and technical, not as loose and free.” With the jazz band, she said, students have “the ability to improvise, to be a little less precise.”
To prepare for the festival, the band started with seven or eight pieces and selected the best three, according to junior Mark Johanson, 17, who plays piano. He enjoys performing, whether it’s at a festival or at a community event, such as their recent performances at a campaign fundraiser for Measure E and for the 150th birthday of Burnett Elementary School.
“It’s the best part, it gives you a chance to show off, to show what you’ve worked so hard on,” Johanson said.
Sobrato High School students also worked hard this year to form the school’s first jazz band. Rehearsing four hours a week, the 16 students honed their skills, creating a repertoire of songs to perform during concerts with the concert band and the choir. Mostly freshen and sophomores, the band is composed of four trumpets, two trombones, two alto saxophones, two tenor saxophones, one baritone saxophone, two guitars, one bass, one drummer and a pianist. There are three juniors in Sobrato’s jazz band.
They took their show on the road several times this year, performing at the Guglielmo Winery and kicking off the Mushroom Mardi Gras weekend at the street dance the night before the festival opened.
“They have worked really hard this year, and we have had a blast putting a
band on stage,” Director Erik Kalish said.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at md****@mo*************.com.
