[Dixielandjazz] Teens Jazzed About Ellington

[Mike]

*Teens jazzed about Ellington*


*Honeoye Falls-Lima ensemble prepares for national competition in N.Y.C.*


By: Nicole Lee -Staff writer


HONEOYE FALLS — After months of listening to and rehearsing the music of 
jazz great Duke Ellington, John Roberts, in a half-smiling and 
half-reverent tone, knows this for sure: "Ellington, he is God."

 From Roberts' vantage point, Ellington, an accomplished pianist, 
composer and big band arranger is arguably as important to jazz as 
Beethoven was to classical music or Einstein to science.

The 17-year-old Honeoye Falls senior hopes to do justice to Ellington's 
music as the soloist in "Boy Meets Horn," one of three pieces the high 
school jazz ensemble is practicing for the 12th annual Essentially 
Ellington Competition & Festival, May 4-6 in New York City.

Honeoye Falls-Lima High School is among 15 finalists in the competition, 
and one of two high schools in New York state selected for the final 
round out of 88 bands nationwide.

Roberts is the only remaining member who was with the ensemble when it 
reached the finals in 2004. He knows how tough it is to win, and is 
proud the group met its goal of making it to the final round with new 
members. Roberts believes he and the ensemble will work hard to play 
well, but,this time, he plans to enjoy the festival as a music lover, too.

"It's going to be a different experience this time around," he said. 
"I'm really, really happy to do it."

Drummer Kevin McNamara, 17, of Honeoye Falls, played a big role in 
helping the students believe they were good enough to compete. In 
addition to their regular Tuesday and Thursday rehearsals, McNamara, a 
junior, motivated the ensemble to practice on some Fridays as well.

"(Kevin) was the one of the ones that got people fired up about it," 
said Mark Borden, the school's director of instrumental music.

This will be the fourth visit to the finals for Borden, who has directed 
the ensemble since its first appearance in the competition in 1996.

It's possible to teach the chord changes, rhythm and other structural 
elements of a song, Borden said, but explaining to a musician how to 
swing is a skill best attained from constantly and intently listening to 
jazz music. This is why Ellington was a masterful composer, Borden 
explained. He didn't just write parts for a certain instrument; often, 
he wrote with a specific instrumentalist in mind.

"The sheer volume of (Ellington's) works and the variety of his 
compositions is unbelievable," Borden said. "Our goal right now is to 
prepare the best music the best we can."

Judges in the Essentially Ellington competition primarily look for 
soulfulness, song interpretation, basic musicianship and technique, the 
strength of a soloist and the ensemble's improvisation when critiquing 
the contestants, said Joanna Massey, education manager of Jazz at 
Lincoln Center.

"The central philosophy is that high school students have an immense 
amount to learn through Ellington's music, (and it's) a chance for them 
to study some of the most important American music of the 20th century," 
Massey said. "We're really excited about having Honeoye Falls here again."

During the competition, which also includes music workshops and 
impromptu jam sessions, participants will get a chance to talk with 
Wynton Marsalis, the multiple award-winning artistic director of Jazz at 
Lincoln Center and creator of Essentially Ellington. Marsalis will also 
be a guest soloist with the high schools that make it to the 
competition's final three.

> http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070320/NEWS01/703200321/1003