It was nail-biting time during the finals of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 30th annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, where the top three placing bands competed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City to be recognized as the top high school jazz band in the world.
One of the three was the Central High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Dr. Ollie Liddell. The day before, Liddell posted these words to Facebook: “God is just showering us with blessings. The Memphis Central (THE) High School Jazz Band performed with the rest of these phenomenal bands from around the world. Yesterday we were named top 10. After the second round performance they announced us as top 3 in the WORLD. We find out if we are 1, 2, or 3 on tomorrow night. I am so overcome with emotion at these kids!”
Yet Liddell and his students kept their cool as they took to the stage to perform, staying in the zone, focused and swinging madly. Each top-placing band performed with its choice of a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra member as a featured soloist. Finally, after all three bands had played, the award ceremony began and Memphis’ Central High School was named the best high school jazz band in the world.
Photo: Gilberto Tadday/Jazz at Lincoln Center
Dr. Ollie Liddell directs the Memphis Central High School Jazz Band at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater.
It was the students’ first time competing in person, and most of them had no experience playing an instrument before high school. Yet it was clear that Liddell had nurtured and coaxed incredible reserves of talent out of them. The soloists were on fire, harking back to the glory days of Jimmie Lunceford’s Manassas High School Band of the 1920s-30s, who wowed audiences at the Cotton Club in their day.
A record 127 schools from across the world entered the competition, which allowed international bands to compete for the first time this year. The five-day event saw students immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals, and performances as they competed for the top honors.
The three finalists on Sunday also included the Osceola County School for the Arts of Kissimmee, Florida, and the Sant Andreu Jazz Band of Barcelona, Spain. Other international schools competing during the week included Blackburn High School of Victoria, Australia, and Tomisato High School of Chiba, Japan. Central High was the only school from Tennessee included among the competitors.
Wynton Marsalis, managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, presented awards to the top bands. Central High School’s first place trophy came with an award of $10,000. “Congratulations to all our bands who performed this week,” said Marsalis. “We recognize your sacrifice and commend you on your commitment. One of the things I’m most proud of about this festival is how it brings together parents, children, administrators, and communities around something truly worthwhile — the inner development of our kids.”
In the end, the awards garnered by the Central High band included First Place Overall, Outstanding Trumpet Section, Outstanding Trombone Section, Outstanding Rhythm Section, Outstanding Alto Saxophone Soloist: Jackson H., Outstanding Trumpet Soloist: Kingston G., and Outstanding Trombone Soloist: Marqese C.
The bands were evaluated by several judging panels comprising distinguished jazz musicians and historians, including Joseph Jefferson, Ingrid Jensen, Sherrie Maricle, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Ulysses Owens, Catherine Russell, Reggie Thomas, Camille Thurman, Liesel Whitaker, and others. As one of the most innovative education events in the world, the Essentially Ellington program aims to elevate musicianship, broaden perspectives, and inspire performance through the music of jazz icon Duke Ellington. The program provides free transcriptions of original Duke Ellington recordings – accompanied by rehearsal guides, original recordings, professional instruction, and more – to thousands of schools and community bands in 58 countries. More than 7,000 high school bands have benefitted from free charts and resources over the 30 years of Essentially Ellington.
Returning home with their newly won crown, Liddell and the band prepared for a show on more familiar turf: Central High School Auditorium. The school’s Jazz Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble all performed in a free show there on May 13th.