Photograph by Sophia Rodriguez-Bell
The audience is abuzz with anticipation whenever the Berkeley High Jazz Band is in concert. Their shows are always met with high expectations, which the band consistently exceeds.
Their November 17 show at Freight & Salvage certainly lived up to these standards, collaborating with Berkeley High School (BHS) orchestra for the first time in history.
The stage was awash with the color and shine of clothes and instruments, mimicking the cultivated disorder of jazz itself. The music was enticing, so much so that it was easy to find oneself snapped out of a trance at the slightest pause between songs.
It’s shocking that such an elating experience is constantly at the fingertips of Berkeley resident, but the Jazz Band has been an exceptional staple of the Berkeley community for decades.
The BHS Jazz Band holds great cultural significance in Berkeley, and it’s history is undeniably intertwined with the history of the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) itself.
Jazz has had eminence in BUSD since 1954, when Bob Lutt took place as the director of bands at BHS and directed the very first jazz band that BHS had ever known. The BUSD’s affinity for jazz programs only increased from there. In 1966, Dr. Herb Wong became the principal of Washington Elementary School, and by 1967 he had hired Phil Hardymon and Dick Whittington to teach jazz to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders.
According to the BHS Jazz website, Hardymon and Whittington strove to teach their students valuable skills such as “sight singing, ear training, jazz improvisation and appreciation”.
They were incredibly successful in their goal. Not only were their students able to improvise a chorus of the blues by the end of the year, but they were developing a real appreciation for jazz that other schools hope to foster.
When the BUSD was desegregated in 1968, it occurred to the administration that having an integrated music program might be particularly relevant to African American students. In order to test their theory, jazz bands were formed in all fourth through sixth grade schools and two middle schools. The jazz bands were highly successful and by the time the early ‘70s rolled around, every Berkeley school had a jazz band for students to learn new skills and develop a passion for music.
In 1975, Hardymon became the band director at BHS and the jazz band began to really flourish. The band began to win jazz competitions on the state level and acquired a spot at the Monterey Jazz Festival a number of times.
Over the years, the merit of the BHS jazz ensemble has become recognized around the globe. In 1997, the ensemble performed at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals. During the summer of 1999, the ensemble toured Japan and Most recently, the ensemble visited Cuba in 2013 and 2014.
Obviously, the legacy of the BHS jazz band continues well on into today. BHS Jazz Combos earned first place at the Next Generation Jazz Festival in 2012 and 2013. Two different BHS Jazz Combos were awarded the title of High School Combo of the Year by Downbeat Magazine in 2012 and 2013. To top it all of, the top BHS jazz combo was awarded the top combo award at the Mingus Jazz Festival in New York City in 2015.
Needless to say, the BHS Jazz program results in highly talented musicians who go on to pursue their passion professionally. Every year, BHS Jazz students are awarded scholarships to some of the most prestigious music schools in the world in order to continue honing the skills they first cultivated in BUSD music programs. The BHS Jazz Band has highly influential alumni such as Joshua Redman, Benny Green, and Ambrose Akinmusire.
The Jazz Band was once called the “indisputable jewel in Berkeley’s musical crown” by the SF Bay Guardian, and the statement could not hold anymore truth. The greatness of the BHS Jazz Band has become such a phenomenon that it is often suggested there is “something in the water” within BHS. However, it seems to me that the Jazz Band is just composed of such enthusiastic, unwearied, and talented musicians that they’re driven by their own work ethic to exceed the expectations set by themselves and the people they’re performing for. Their talent is attributable to the driven young musicians of which it is composed, continuing the creative legacy of BHS.