OH jazz bands prepared for their annual Big Band Nite performance, which returned this year. As per tradition, OH invited a guest band to play after the student-filled jazz groups performed their tunes in the OH auditorium.
“The Chicagoland Jazz Educators Big Band. It’s a band that I put together, and everybody in the band is involved in education in some way, shape or form, and they’re monster players,” said OH band director Kevin Schoenbach. “They have a passion for playing music that kind of keeps the tradition of Big Band alive.”
The performance of a big band is essential for the night, hence the reason for the performance’s title. At first, OH had Northern Illinois University’s big band play each year on Big Band Night, but it grew costly, so Schoenbach tried something different by inviting a wide variety of big bands.
“A couple years ago we had a steel band come out with steel pans,” said Schoenbach. “Couple years before that, we had a Dixieland brass band with a rapper, and last year we had kind of a jazz fusion group [doing more with] rock music. So this year we went back to the jazz roots.”
Schoenbach is the lead trombonist of this year’s band, along with Craig Roselieb, the band’s second alto and OH jazz director since the fall of 2019.
“At the beginning of the season, [the students] get motivated by hearing such great excellence playing on all instruments,” said Roselieb. As the big band performed, jazz students sat in the first few rows listening to the wide array of Duke Ellington and Count Basie tunes.
“I like that we get to hear a lot of different things from all the jazz bands, and then whatever guest band they bring in,” said OH senior Emma Garcia.
Students and adults alike could enjoy the scope of jazz for the price of $5 and $10 respectively. The performance began promptly at 7 p.m. with Jazz 3 on Nov. 13, but jazz students stayed after school to learn from big band members.
“We have clinics before [the performance], from like 2:30 to 5 o’clock. So, we just get to work with a whole bunch of different people on a lot of different things,” said Garcia.
Big Band Nght isn’t just a night of performing: It is also a great opportunity for OH students to better their jazz skills, such as improvisation.“This year, the clinician worked a little bit more in improvisation. So it gives the students a little bit of some different ways to approach that aspect of jazz,” said Schoenbach.
Improvisation and soloing are important components in jazz that require creativity and confidence that students develop through the clinics and experience.
“Solos range in various styles from slow, smooth flute solos, to a fast, dirty, growling trumpet solo,” said OH junior and Jazz 1 member Leah Nachtigall. “One of the things that is really cool about playing jazz is improving. It allows the band and the individual to make the performance unique to that one night.”
The OH jazz bands, especially Jazz 1 and Jazz Combo, have received praise in the past for their persistence and performance in jazz. Though it is a genre that may not be as valued as it once was, OH proudly hosts a jazzy night erupting with excitement.
Attending Big Band Night is a great way to support the OH jazz department and listen to live, exciting jazz music. On top of that, jazz students can learn from educators and have fun performing in front of an audience.
“There is so much support from everyone in the room, [which] is filled with excitement and joy. Everyone is supporting each other and cheering on the rest of the bands,” said Nachtigall.
I am a senior and this is my first year as a student journalist for 42Fifty. I currently play the trumpet in the OHS Marching Band and I am a member of BIONIC as well. I am excited for learning and gaining experience in journalism this year. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
