Congratulations!!!! Savannah Bound!!!

Back in September the band applied to to the
Swing Central Jazz Festival which is part of  the Savannah Music Festival.
They had to submit a audition recording in order to be selected as one of the
finalist. Here is part of the
annoucment:
 
              
SWING CENTRAL JAZZ ANNOUNCES TWELVE HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BANDS
SELECTED
                                        
TO PARTICIPATE IN 2013 SAVANNAH MUSIC FESTIVAL
 
 Savannah,
Georgia – Twelve of the nation’s top high school jazz bands have been selected
to participate in the eighth annual SWING CENTRAL JAZZ High School Jazz Band
Competition & Workshop, an event produced by the Savannah Music Festival
(SMF). Pianist/composer Marcus Roberts leads a group of 19 esteemed
musicians/educators as the Associate Artistic Director, along with Associate
Director Jim Ketch, trumpet player and Director of Jazz Studies at UNC Chapel
Hill. Participating students work with jazz masters across three days, perform
in showcases on Savannah’s River Street, play in competition rounds, and attend
a variety of SMF performances during their stay,
which takes place from March
27 through 29, 2013. “It was difficult process to select our twelve high school
bands from a very strong group of applicants. We look forward to hosting
talented young musicians from as far away as California while welcoming
first-time participants from the Savannah Arts Academy,” remarks Associate
Artistic Director Marcus Roberts. “We will have a great group of world-class
musicians working with these bands in team settings during the festival. I’m
looking forward to it.”
 
In 2013, the nationally recognized SWING
CENTRAL JAZZ program features the following bands going head-to-head for $13,000
in cash awards:
 
Agoura High School Studio Jazz Band from Agoura
High School (Agoura Hills, CA)
Agoura High School Jazz “A” from Agoura High
School (Agoura Hills, CA)
Charleston School of the Arts Jazz from Charleston
School of the Arts (Charleston, SC)
Camden Creative Arts Jazz Band from
Creative Arts Morgan Village Academy (Camden, NJ)
Denver School of the Arts
Jazz Workshop Orchestra from Denver School of the Arts (Denver, CO)
Downers
Grove South High School Jazz Ensemble from Downers Grove South High School
(Downers Grove, IL)
Grissom High School “A” Jazz Band from Grissom High
School (Huntsville, AL)
Lower Moreland High School Jazz Ensemble from Lower
Moreland High School (Huntingdon Valley, PA)
Overton High School Blue Jazz
Ensemble from Overton High School (Memphis, TN)
Savannah Arts Academy Jazz
Band One from Savannah Arts Academy (Savannah, GA)
Tarpon Springs High School
Jazz Ensemble I from Tarpon Springs High School (Tarpon Springs, FL)
The
Lovett School Jazz Ensemble from The Lovett School (Atlanta,
GA)


As part of SWING CENTRAL JAZZ, each
participating band receives a visit from a clinician in February to help them
prepare for the event. On March 28, all bands perform in public showcases at
Rousakis Plaza on River Street. On March 29, select combos perform on Reynolds
Square. Competition rounds take place all day on March 29 at the Lucas Theatre
for the Arts, and are webcasted for family and friends who aren’t able to make
the trip to Savannah. Each band plays three selections: “Billie’s Bounce”
composed by Charlie Parker and arr. by clinician Paul McKee, “Such Sweet
Thunder” composed by Duke Ellington and arr. by Billy Strayhorn and “Oh!”
composed and arr. by Ernie Watkins.