Jazz, by nature, is constantly exciting and surprising, fraught with improvisation and passion. Jazz is fresh and full of spirit, and in the words of famed musician Miles Davis, “Jazz is the big brother of Revolution.” Jazz is many things, and at Knight of Jazz, it’s at North Penn High School.
Friday, February 7, North Penn High School hosted over 180 jazz students from across five districts to showcase their musical talents from 6:00-10:00 P.M. The bands included Souderton Area High School Lab Band, La Salle College High School Lab Band, Souderton Area High School Jazz Ensemble, Lower Merion High School Jazz Band, La Salle College High School Competition Band, Pennsbury High School Jazz Ensemble, and North Penn High School’s Columbia and Navy Jazz Bands, who played not only for the audience but for a panel of judges, who granted awards for both outstanding solo musicians and outstanding sections.
The North Penn Columbia and Navy Jazz Bands performed last out of all of the schools, and though the concert being at home makes them ineligible for any awards, the talent was unmistakable, and the hard work was not unnoticed. North Penn bands rehearsed together twice a week, with room for students to practice individually with their sections.
“Performing live is a whole different experience than rehearsal, so we were all very satisfied with our performance, and we’re excited to see how the rest of the season goes from here. I think North Penn’s jazz program is absolutely out of this world, and we’re so lucky to have so many talented people who share the passion of music to come together in these bands,” Simar Kler, North Penn Navy Jazz Band drummer said.
Knight of Jazz is an event that not only supports North Penn’s music programs through admission fees, but it’s an incredible opportunity for the community to be exposed to the talented young musicians both of the high school and the surrounding areas.
“There definitely is more value in people seeing it in person. The difference from watching a video -it could be with the highest quality speakers ever- is when you’re there, you can feel the sound. The sound fully overwhelms you and overwhelms all of your senses besides hearing, it’s awesome,” Jeet Satpute, North Penn Navy Band drummer, said.
“It’s easy to press play on a song on Spotify, but the level of understanding that you can get from hearing that same song live is unbelievable. Moreover, live music is always unexpected and different every single time, because it’s yet to happen. It’s not prerecorded- there’s room for error, which makes it more human. Jazz especially is filled with improvisation; performers are creating melodies on the spot and trying things for the first time,” Kler said.
What was most captivating about the performances was not only the raw talent, but who the talent was coming from. Put best by North Penn’s Navy Jazz Band director Mr. David DiValentino in his “Director’s Welcome” in the concert program, “while balancing their academics and other activities, these kids are performing professional-level big band literature at an extremely high level.”
When you hear the kind music that can take you out of your seat and to a different place, you wouldn’t imagine that that sort of sound is coming from high schoolers, who still have to balance high school lives on top of their musical careers. Something about this makes the music all the more enticing, and adds a sense of wonder about the students who will pursue musical careers; if they can play that incredibly already, their full potential upon dedicating themselves to music will undoubtedly be a masterful art.
“I don’t see a life where I’m doing anything other than this all the time,” Satpute said. “I plan to get there by practicing a lot. It’s competitive; only the best of the best are going to get the good jobs.”
The level of skill coming from each musician who performed at Knight of Jazz is the mark of effort backed by pure passion. Looking across the stage at the face of every musician, that passion couldn’t be missed. Jazz as a genre is marked not only by its distinctive sound, but the emotion behind it; each song feels like a story being told through every note, and jazz especially is unique to each musician who plays it, through personal musical style and improvisation.
Even in one concert, where North Penn High School’s Navy Jazz Band and La Salle College High School’s Competition Band performed the same song, “A Shade of Jade,” both containing guitar, tenor saxophone, and drum solos, and North Penn containing a trumpet solo, the different styles between different musicians could be felt throughout the auditorium.
Not only does this make for a great experience as an audience, but it provides a chance for performers to learn from each other and grow by hearing the skills of others.
“As much as people say comparing is bad, it’s honestly in my head a good thing, as long as you do it properly. I can see things he did better than me and examples of how he did it better, and that’s helping me become a better musician,” Satpute said, referring to La Salle Competition Band drummer Wyatt Steinman, who played the same drum solo.
North Penn ended the Knight of Jazz by playing “Fly Eagles Fly,” in celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles who will play in the upcoming Super Bowl game this Sunday. The night proved to be entertaining, engaging, and put a variety of talent in the spotlight. To be able to support North Penn’s musical programs by being an audience to great jazz is a thousand percent worth it.
“The notion of going to a live performance, whether it’s a jazz festival or a rock concert, matters because it’s allowing you to take time to think about nothing but the music that’s hitting your eardrums and to spend time just experiencing the melodies. I think that’s time well spent,” Kler reflected.
