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DANVERS â The St. Johnâs Prep Jazz Eagles flew to Philadelphia last weekend for a special performance at the National High School Jazz Competition.
The jazz quintet competed in the first in-person version of this event since the start of the pandemic, going up against more than 50 ensembles from some of the top music programs in the nation.
While they didnât place in the overall competition, guitar player and Melrose resident Charlie Mitchell received a Judgesâ Choice Award and an Outstanding Jazz Musician Award.
âI was really caught off-guard because the room was just full of people and I heard so many great musicians that day,â said Mitchell, an 18-year-old senior.
âJazz for me is more about not just playing the songs themselves, but playing with other people and interacting with other musicians on an artistic level.â
Mitchell is joined in the quintet by bass guitarist Rowan Jones, tenor sax polar Arthur âLiamâ Sullivan, drummer Nate Leonard and guitarist Chris Jalbert, a 16-year-old Danvers resident.
âWe did pretty-pretty good and weâre proud of how we performed,â Jalbert said. âAll the criticisms that we were given was new information that we hadnât really thought about, and it was really insightful to hear what professionals had to say about us.â
The group performed âBright Size Lifeâ by Pat Metheny, a guitar-focused song the students had to adapt to include saxophone. They also played a more traditional jazz-sounding song, âStrasbourg St. Denisâ by Roy Hargrove, and a jazz fusion piece by Indigo Jam Unit called âSepia.â
The students created their own solos to perform during the pieces and also attended clinics at the competition. In their free time, they went sightseeing and attended a performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
The Jazz Eagles play an upward of 15 performances each year, including at concerts and school events.
âThey are very well prepared, very well polished,â group director Seelan Manickam said. âNot all of them are necessarily going to continue this as a career, but yet itâs an important part of their life.â
Jalbert wants to go to college for audio engineering. He wants music to be the backbone of his future career, he said. Just like itâs at the core of his high school experience.
âBeing a part of (Jazz Eagles) is just fun,â he said. âItâs been the best way to bring my interest in guitar into school. Itâs a place where I feel comfortable being able to take my ideas and put them into the world.â
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com
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By Caroline Enos | Staff Writer
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