Malow Jazz Band earns prestigious invitation to perform at annual Detroit festival

The Malow Junior High School Jazz Band has earned a rare invitation to participate in the 2015 Detroit Jazz Festival this Labor Day weekend.

“We have identified your band as one of the premier youth jazz ensembles in the state of Michigan, and we will be proud to feature your students on a main stage at the festival this year,” Detroit Jazz Festival Education Coordinator Chuck Newsome wrote in the band’s invitation letter.

The 26-member Malow Jazz Band is an invitation-only group of eighth and ninth graders under the direction of music teacher Jeffery Groth. It is the only junior high band to earn an invitation to the premier entertainment event.

The band performs at all the evening school events at Malow and selected Utica Community Schools events. The group has also performed twice at Cliff Bell’s Jazz Club in Detroit.

The band will perform beginning at noon on September 7 at the festival’s Mack Avenue Records Waterfront Stage on the riverfront.

To qualify, bands had to earn a “1” or superior rating at the MSBOA Jazz Festival and submit an audition CD.