I’ll now be congratulating them because they did something well.
For the second consecutive year, Seattle high schools claimed the top two spots at this weekend’s Essentially Ellington Festival in New York, the nation’s premier high-school jazz-band contest.
Seattle’s Garfield High School placed first and Roosevelt High School was second. The 1-2 order was reversed last year, with Roosevelt on top.
“We are enjoying the moment,” said Clarence Acox, reaching by phone in New York Sunday night, just after the announcement of Garfield’s win.
“We’re standing right in front of Jazz at Lincoln Center taking pictures with the trophy,” said the longtime band director. “It never gets old.”
Garfield’s victory was its third, tying a record Roosevelt set in 2008 and furthering the Seattle schools’ dominance at Ellington. West Coast schools began going to Ellington in 1999. Roosevelt and Garfield have each won three times since then; no other school has won twice.
On Sunday afternoon, Essentially Ellington-presenter Jazz at Lincoln Center invited the top three bands — based on judging of their performances earlier in the weekend — to take the stage with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.
A big hats-off to the Seattle School District in general, as well as Garfield High School and Roosevelt High School in particular. Congratualtions are definitely in order. Good luck next year as well!.