Musicians of All Ages Show Off at Jazz Night

Playing jazz helps sophomore Melanie Woodward "with everything."

“If you really put yourself into it, it develops your creative skills by allowing you to express yourself freely,” the Franklin High Jazz Ensemble trumpeter said.

Like the other members of the band, Woodward demonstrates a level of commitment to learning music beyond most student musicians. Wednesday night, she and her band mates shared their talents.

Franklin High School hosted “Jazz Night,” a performance by students from and . Each school’s jazz band performed a short program, demonstrating their talents for an audience of friends and family.

Chatsworth Elementary started off the performance with the Linda Bange arrangements “Rock Element,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and “Randy’s Rock.”

Franklin Middle demonstrated refined musical skills with songs like Mike Story’s “Basie-cally the Blues,” and Dean Sorenson’s “Uncle Milo’s Slide Show.” The students confidently delivered performances of these complicated pieces.

The Franklin High School Jazz Ensemble capped off the night’s performance with a challenging set list including Sammy Nestico’s “Sudden Sam,” and Les Sabina’s “Blow Torch.”

Standouts during this performance included bassist Keenan McNamara, who was indispensable during the “Sudden Sam” performance, and the horn section, with notable solos from Tiffany Jackson on trumpet and Matt Poissant on trombone.

The jazz ensemble at Franklin, which students audition for, is taught as a class during the normal school day. Baritone saxophone player Kevin Ross said that is one of the most appealing aspects of the program.

“The class is really fun. It’s kind of neat this is a class as opposed to going after school,” he said.

Timothy Brown, the jazz ensemble instructor at Franklin, said that the program is designed for students who demonstrate strong abilities and really want to further develop their skills.

“It’s an honors level class so the kids are more serious about it,” he said.

Brown explained that although some of the songs his students played that night were well-known to them, the band had only recently learned “Sudden Sam.” It's all a part of his strategy to strengthen their skills.

“I like to challenge them with things like that to keep them on their toes,” he said.

The students had no trouble picking up the new song so quickly, a testament to the school’s music department.

“This is a very supportive community and we have a supportive faculty,” Brown said.

Some Franklin students get to take the show on the road this weekend.

This Saturday, students from nine Baltimore County high schools will perform as an all-honors jazz ensemble, showcasing the talented musicians of the BCPS music programs.

Highly competitive auditions for the county were held in. Over 200 students tried out and only 34 were chosen. Brown said that his students were among some of the most talented musicians competing.

“This is the best representation we’ve had at the county level,” he said. “Our students were some of the most prepared [at the audition] there.”

The three students representing Franklin this Saturday are percussionist Trevor Grove, trombone player Noah Israel and guitarist Kayla Zuskin.

Grove, a skilled percussionist seemed confident but humble while discussing the upcoming show.

“County level is phenomenal. It’s like jazz band but on a whole other level,” he said. “We’re playing songs that are not typically associated with musicians our age.”

The BCPS All Honors Jazz Band and Jazz Vocal ensembles will perform this Saturday at the Walters Art Museum. The performance is free and open to the public and begins at 7:30 p.m.