The Shawano Community High School jazz band dominated the Division 1A competition at the 29th annual “Jazz in the Meadows’’ event on Feb. 22 at Rolling Meadows High School in Illinois. With the victory, Shawano became the only Wisconsin high school to win six championships — in a row nonetheless — at Rolling Meadows.
“We tell the kids to compare this to high school sports,’’ said Christopher Kent, band director. “Winning at Rolling Meadows is like winning the state basketball championship, and Illinois’ state championship, and a couple other states’ championships as well. This is a big deal.’’
Shawano opened with Gordon Goodwin’s “Gumbo Street,’’ with solos from junior tenor sax player Threse VanDyck, and junior piano player Sara Arens, along with senior trombonists Maris Braun and Connor Neumann-Sleeper performed “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most.’’ Shawano’s finisher, “La Suerte De Los Tontos,’’ drew on solo performances from tenor sax player Will Johnston, Teddy Myers and Mitch Micik (drum set), to send the Hawks to a sixth straight Meadows victory.
“A month ago, we won at the Northshore festival but did not play our best, but today they walked out and played like the champions they are,’’ Kent said. “ I am very proud of them and they did a great job but it is time to get back to work.”
Shawano’s Jazz II band earned a two-star rating in the “second band’’ competition at the festival.
Next for the two jazz bands is their own jazz festival on March 15 at SCHS. Shawano will not be competing at its own festival, but both bands will be playing Saturday along with 21 other bands and will receive clinics from national jazz clinicians
Shawano’s final competitive event in 2014 is UW-Eau Claire on April 5. Despite its success in area jazz festivals, Shawano has never finished first at UWEC.
“That is our focus, today and going forward,’’ Kent said. “We need to raise our level of performance, and play like we know how to, to give us a chance to win at UWEC.
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