The West High band program held its second annual fall jazz concert at 7:00 p.m. on Oct. 9 in the Arganbright Auditorium. Auditions were held throughout the first week of September, giving the bands four weeks of rehearsal to prepare the concert set.
Jazz Lab, West’s third jazz band, opened the concert with “Agua y Arena” by Steve Shanley and arranged by Bob Turner. They rounded out their set with swing tune “Blues in the Closet” by Oscar Pettiford and funk chart “Pure & Simple” by Jeff Jarvis.
Next, West’s second jazz band, Jazz Collective, kicked off with “Early Afternoon Blues” by Chick Corea and arranged by Mark Taylor. They then played “Little Sunflower” by Freddie Hubbard and arranged by Paul Murtha and “Sidewinder” by Lee Morgan and arranged by Mark Taylor.
Jazz Ensemble, West’s top jazz band, started with a nod to “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie with “Something for Ernie (Nothing for Bert)” by Fred Stride, followed by “Cubano Chant” by Ray Bryant and arranged by Michael Phillip Mossman. After playing “Easy Money” by Benny Carter, they closed the concert with “Crunchy Frog” by Gordon Goodwin.
The bands will rehearse new music and hold a clinic with a guest artist before performing with them in their next concert, the annual Jazz Cafe, in the West High Cafeteria on Dec. 13.
