Westport High School's Jazz Combo Takes Top Prize At Festival

Information via Westport Public Schools

WESTPORT, CT — The Staples High School Jazz Combo received first place honors in the Small Ensemble Division at the 2021 National Jazz Festival, a premier competition that took place in a virtual format in Philadelphia on May 22.

According to a news release, the five members of the instrumental music department recorded a live performance that adjudicator Oscar Perez described as very enjoyable and cohesive. The competition drew both live and studio recorded performances from across the country.

Pianist Lucas Lieberman was recognized as the "superior musician" for the entire caption, while trumpeter Delaney McGee and drummer Witt Lindau were named two of the three "outstanding musicians" in the caption. The other members of the combo are Noah Jahnel on tenor saxophone and Abe Rubin on bass.

The Staples High School Jazz Ensemble also participated in the large ensemble caption among a fiercely competitive group of the best high school jazz programs in the country. Adjudicator Wilbur Wittemann described the group as a "swingin' band" that was "one of the better bands that we've heard, in a tough division."

Wittemann highlighted the stylistic soloing of Lieberman, Rubin and Jahnel, calling them "stars."

Staples Band Director Phil Giampietro described the results for both ensembles as a huge testament to the spirit of the school's music department students.

"They have worked so hard from the start of September," Giampietro said in a news release, "and they continue to push forward in the face of adversity. In particular, the five students of the combo should be commended for the chemistry that is present in their playing, which creates a strong nucleus for the full jazz ensemble and pushes all of us to do our best."

Performances from the National Jazz Festival are available for viewing on the organization’s YouTube page, a link for which can be found at www.nationaljazzfestival.org.

Previously, the ensemble finished in first place at the Darien High School Jazz Jamboree to high acclaim of adjudicators John Mastroianni and Earl MacDonald, who are both members of the jazz faculty at the University of Connecticut.

Giampietro looks to expand the jazz program and their public concert offerings this coming school year, his third as the director of bands.