The Mountlake Terrace High School (MTHS) Jazz Ensemble 1 won the Sweepstakes award last Saturday, April 20, at the University of Idaho Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. They competed against 82 other high schools from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Canada.
The jazz band performed earlier in the day where they were adjudicated on their 20 minute set. They performed “A Little Minor Booze”, “Trav’lin’ Light”, “The Sunny Side of the Street”, and “Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!”
After winning their division, the adjudicators selected the top two schools for the Sweepstakes Competition on Saturday evening. Garfield High School Jazz 1 and Mountlake Terrace were selected. Mountlake Terrace performed “Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie!” in the Sweepstakes Competition. View the Jazz Ensemble 1 award winning sweepstakes performance on the MTHS Jazz YouTube channel.
Mountlake Terrace jazz musicians Travis Herberg, Luca Manzo, Justin Ho, Katarina Moye, Mya Phin, in addition to the entire trombone section of Bennett Harvey, Braden Ryder, Allen Vernon, Ben Dockter, and Wyatt Gutting, were recognized for their outstanding solo performances.
The Symphonic Jazz Band, three jazz combos, and two soloists from Mountlake Terrace High School jazz also performed at the festival.
“What a great trip! I’m so excited we were able to provide this festival experience for students in both of these groups, “ said Jazz Band Director Darin Faul. “Symphonic Jazz Band has been doing jazz band and concert band music this year because of the cuts that happened last spring and have grown a ton!. And Jazz Ensemble 1 has had an amazingly successful last 6 weeks!
“First, we received the Sweepstakes prize at the Newport Jazz Festival in March. Then we presented a great program at Hot Java Cool Jazz in front of a sold out crowd at the Paramount Theater. Last weekend at Lionel Hampton we were again recognized with the Sweepstakes award at what is the biggest, most competitive Jazz Festival in the Northwest. I’m extremely proud of these students and am really looking forward to the next couple months of school and what we can do. It’s been so much fun!”
The University of Idaho Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival is one of the largest and oldest educational jazz festivals in the world. With over 400 student performances, a dozen world-class jazz artists in attendance and nearly 100 workshops, clinics and special exhibits, the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival honors the music, dance and history of jazz music and one of its most honored artists, Lionel Hampton.
