Lyric Showcases AC-SHS Jazz Band Performance

By Damon Stone,
Staff Writer

The Allen County-Scottsville Jazz Band performed on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m. at the Lyric, where they performed several jazz pieces for a large audience.

The jazz band was under the direction of Joshua Pace, the general music and choir teacher at Allen County Intermediate Center, along with being the assistant band director at the high school and middle school.

“We had a fantastic night on Thursday with a great turnout,” Pace expressed. “Our kids really shined like rock stars that night, and with the Lyric, the people there with the sound and the lights, they truly allowed our students to shine with the success and excellence that we like to see from our students at the high school and middle school level in our band programs. So, they really showed off our program, and they represented everything we stand for.”

This year was the second year of the jazz band being brought back, with Pace explaining that the students have gotten more comfortable with playing jazz, compared to last year.

The front row consisted of Tucker Stinson on tenor sax, Makenzie Minix and Sidney Murray on alto sax, Cayden Collins and Anna Rossetter on clarinet, Rylan Grapes, who was unable to be at the performance, on tenor sax, and Hadley Murray baritone sax.

The middle row consisted of Scarlett Gillian, Aidan Stone, Mackynzie Hunt, Dane Jones, Chase Manley, and Jonah Holland, each on trombone.

The back row consisted of Kane Simmons, Hayden Sandefer, Meredith Sewell, Gabe Blankenship, Aidan Del Rio, and Jacob Steele, each being on trumpet.

The rhythm section was composed of Kanan Carver on the drum set, Carter Douglas on bass guitar, JoyDale Williams on piano, and Hope McLean on vibraphone.

“You can tell that they’re a lot more comfortable with the style,” Pace said. “Now, it’s very, very different than what they’re used to with marching band, concert band and even pep band. It’s a whole different style of music.”

Pace explained that whenever they were handing out charts this year, they started at the same time adding an extra day and another 30 minutes, but whenever they were first handed the pieces, they were much more comfortable with them.

“In jazz, reading through music the first time is always a struggle because the rhythms are very complicated,” Pace clarified. “It’s what we call the orchestration, all the different instrument parts are layered really thick, so there’s lots going on at the same time, and they are able to handle their parts very well.”

Pace explained that throughout the year, they talked about what their parts did, and worked together through some of the different nuances with each piece.

“I hope it was able to let (the audience) know that we’re here for them, for their entertainment, and all this time that we ask for our students, that they see that they put in hard work, and they don’t just stay after school and hang out,” Pace expressed. “They’re learning valuable life lessons, they’re learning how to be creative, and that’s one really awesome thing about jazz, is that student creativity and that student showcase they have a lot of opportunities for solos.”

Pace emphasized the individuality with the music, with a smaller amount of students performing what would be done by a whole section in concert band, with students being able to show that individuality by coming up with a script for the night, allowing them to research the songs that they perform and communicate directly with the audience.

“It just lets the community feel more connected with our kids and allows our kids to just be themselves in front of the community,” Pace said. “I think that relationship is really important in the arts, because we rely so heavily on people showing up and people caring.”

Pace said that “Route 66” was one of the students’ favorite songs, opening the concert playing it, with the song being a part of the students’ childhood, as it was used in the credits for the movie “Cars,” which was released in 2006.

“It’s just a piece that is very American, and the roots of old rock and roll,” Pace added. “It’s a piece that they can really love.”

Another song that the students enjoyed was Big Noise from Winnetka,” being brought back from last year after a push from the band’s drummer, Kanan Carver, who was unable to perform in last year’s show due to an accident.

“We wanted to bring back that piece, all of us, the students too, wanted to bring that piece not only because it’s a lot of fun to play, it’s really fast, really loud, but it also allowed our incredible drummer to have a chance to stand back and reprise his role as drummer this year for our concert,” Pace expressed. “That was a really special moment.”

Another piece that the jazz band played was “Somewhere in the Moonlight,” with Pace expressing that jazz band pieces have “really beautiful ballads,” being able to showcase Aidan Stone, a senior trombonist.

“(He) has been a backbone in the culture rebuild and the excellence that we’re trying to inspire in all of our students to work on, practice, and stay with it so that one day they can be that senior role model to future students,” Pace emphasized. “It was a special moment for him and our program, and I just wanted it to be inspiring to other students that work hard, and when you put in the time, we value you. So we want to try to give back whenever we can and whenever we have students that do that, we want to share them with the community and all they’ve done for us.”

Anyone interested in donating to the jazz band and the band program at large can reach out to any Allen County-Scottsville Band Booster at any concert, where they can donate via credit card, or at the beginning of the marching band season, there are fundraising flyers for sponsors.

Pace added that supplies like water, food and helping with practice are ways that individuals can give back to the band.

“Community support is a big thing,” Pace reiterated. “The more people we have around, not only just money, which is obviously important, but just being there and supporting our students is more than enough for a happy donation to our program. It really brings a smile to our kids faces when they see people that are not just their parents, but they’re there for them and providing for them in all sorts of different ways; it truly takes a village to accomplish what we’re trying to do here.”

The jazz band also performed at SKyPAC on Tuesday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m. along with the concert band and brass choir.

“The concert was just a glimpse of how brightly our students really shined on stage,” Pace expressed. “Their energy, the sound, the solos they did and the speaking parts, just an absolute masterclass of student excellence and creativity. (…) I’m super proud; the second year of the jazz band is really, really special to me, and it just proves how much our students really want this, and how excited they are for it, and also how excited the community is.”