From Beethoven to the Beatles, from Duke Ellington to Ozzy Osborne, May 5th’s Jazz concert in the afternoon and Concert Band performance in the evening covered a couple centuries of popular music.
All told, directed by Erik Hermanson, a dozen bands performed.
Jazz concert
Thursday Jazz, made up of sixth through eighth graders,” opened with “Beauty and the Beast,” followed it with “A Blues to Grow On,” and closed with “Beginner's Rock.” Thursday Jazz was the first opportunity ever that Cleveland sixth graders had to join a jazz band.
It went on to receive a Good rating at the Music in the Parks competition in Eden Prairie last Saturday and took third place overall among the jazz bands there.
Tuesday Jazz, made up of seventh and eighth graders, opened with “Living for the City,” followed it with “Ballad for a Blue Horn,” and closed with “On Broadway.”
It went on to receive a Good rating at the Music in the Parks competition in Eden Prairie last Saturday and took third place overall among the jazz bands there.
Black Folder Jazz, consisting of freshman and one eighth grader, opened with “Caravan,” followed with “Autumn Leaves,” and closed with “Heatseeker.”
It received a Superior rating at the regional/state jazz contest at CHS on April 14 and went on to receive an Excellent rating at the Eden Prairie Music in the Parks competition last Saturday and had the top overall score in the competition
Red Folder Jazz, a sophomore group, opened with “Alright, Ok, You Win,” followed it with “Moonglow” and closed with “Free Download.
The group received an Excellent rating at the Florida Music in the Parks Competition during the band trip to Florida as well as an Excellent rating at the regional/state jazz contest.
Green Folder Jazz, made up mostly of juniors, opened with “Blues by Five,” followed it with “Little Sunflower” and closed with “It is what it is.”
It received an Excellent rating at the Florida Music in the Parks Competition and a Superior rating at the regional/state jazz contest.
Blue Folder Jazz, which consists mostly of seniors, opened with Duke Ellington’s swing tune “Perdido.” After came “Save the Last Dance For Me,” recorded in 1960 by the Drifters and sung by eighth grader Clara Hilfer.
“But don't forget who's takin' you home and in whose arms you're gonna be. So darlin', save the last dance for me.”
Next came the Beetles’ 1965 classic “Norwegian Wood” with its waltz-like meter. Following that was “Feeling Good,” which was written for the 1964 musical “The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd.” It featured soloist Vivian Hilfer.
“Oh, freedom is mine. And I know how I feel. It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life… for me. And I’m feeling good.”
The song is ironic. While the lyrics are meant to convince us that the singer is “feeling good,” the oppressive horns and stumbling drumbeat reveal otherwise.
Hilfer is accustomed to singing on stage, so the large audience didn’t twist her nerves at all, she said.
“I sing at my church all the time. I sing with my mom. I sing with the church choir. But jazz singing and regular singing are a lot different. I have to slide my voice up and down.”
Blue Folder closed with “Watermelon Man,” which featured a medley of senior soloist, including Jackson Bowen on the trumpet, Allison Cink on the alto saxophone and Evelyn Keltgen on the tenor saxophone.
Blue Folder received an Excellent rating at the Florida Music in the Parks competition and earned the top overall score of any group in the competition while Hilfer took home the top soloist award. It received a Superior rating at the regional/state jazz contest, only a few points away from a perfect score.
Senior saxophonist Ariel Murphy won the Louis Armstrong Award, which is given to the jazz performer that represents everything that a CHS jazz member should be, Hermanson said. As the jazz performer who has was voted the top performer of the year by her peers, Helfer, who also plays keyboard, took home the Woody Herman Award.
Spring Band Concert
A trio of concert bands performed in the evening.
First up, the 6th Grade Band, in its first performance, played “Hot Crossed Tiger,” “Bugler’s Dream,” “Power Rock,” “Beethoven’s 9th” and “Crazy Train.”
Next, the 7th and 8th Grade Band played “The Tempest,” “Hoist’s First Suite in E♭,” “Zig Zag,” “First Fallen Snow” and “Sahara.”
Finally, the Concert Band (freshman through seniors) played “Fire Dance,” “Abide With Me,” “Skydive” and “Octavius.” The latter was an original work by Professor Benjamin Faugstad, who was in the audience. Faugstad was a drummer in one of the Bethany Lutheran College jazz bands when Hermanson directed there and now is the director at BLS.
In addition, videos on the jumbotron followed the music of “Skydive” and “Fire Dance.” That technology came from a company owned by Scott Winters, who was Hermanson’s director in his one year at Bethany. Winters was also in the audience.
The Concert Band earned an Excellent rating in the Florida Music in the Parks competition and a Superior rating at the regional/state contest at USC High School in Wells.
As the outstanding senior concert band musician, senior trumpeter Jackson Bowen was the John P. Sousa award winner.
Above: Black Folder Jazz
