The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
30 years and still going strong
Oneida Jazz Festival showcases statewide talent
Stepping into Oneida High School’s auditorium recently, guests could hear the roar of trumpets, the glissandos of saxophones, and the thunder of drums.
The Oneida Jazz Band hosted its annual jazz festival March 9 and 10 at Oneida High School, and the highly-anticipated event was a huge success. Oneida Mayor Leo Matzke was particularly impressed with the festival, declaring both says as city-wide “Oneida Festival Days” in honor of the event’s esteemed reputation.
In its 30th year, the Oneida Jazz Festival maintained its title as the largest and longest running scholastic jazz festival in all of New York state. A total of 24 bands participated in the event, coming from as far as Troy to Syracuse. David Hawthorne, the festival’s current director, has contin--
ued to look forward to hosting the event year after year.
“I think it’s a great avenue for the kids as musicians and to promote jazz education”, said Hawthorne. “It truly is one of the highlights of the school year.”
Alongside Hawthorne, Nick Anderalli, Kathryn Dimmel, and Marjorie Hawthorne helped coordinate the event.
Judges for this year’s event included Doug Sertl, Joe Carello, Greg Evans, Mike Williams, and Timothy Watson.
Sertl has built a reputation as one of today’s leading freelance trombonists, having performed or recorded with artists like Tony Bennett, Paul Anka, and Andy Williams. Carello, alongside being a featured soloist in various concerts, is a teacher at Onondaga Community College and Lemoyne College and is a co-director of The Band Bus School Music Service. Evans is a teacher at Ithaca College and at Cornell University, while also maintaining an active freelance schedule.
Williams is a Louisiana-native who is the lead trumpet player in the world famous Count Basie Orchestra whilst also serving as a professor at the University of Arkansas, Monticello. As a member of the Basie Band, Williams has partaken in a Columbia Artists Tourwith both DizzyGillep- sie and Billy Eckstein, performed for the King of Thailand and Presidential Inaugurations, and recorded three Grammy-winning albums.
“I’m really honored to be asked to be a part of such an incredible event with so much history, so many great artists, and so many enthusiastic young bands”, said Williams.
He also had advice to give to all the aspiring musicians performing at the festival, saying they need to practically live with their instrument and listen constantly to all kinds of musicians. “Make your own luck, go get your opportunities, never be late, never talk bad about anybody, and be nice,” Wil- liams said.
Watson, who was in charge of the soloist awards, was no stranger to the Oneida Jazz Festival -- he founded it in 1988. “I had no idea it would ever get this big. It just grew and grew over time.”
Watson, a retiree and former band instructor at Oneida High School, was blown away after hearing the Oneida Jazz Ensemble perform for the first time in more than four years. “Oneida’s jazz sounded amazing. I really enjoyed their performances and seeing familiar senior faces that I taught at a young age,” reflected Watson.
The two-day festival was concluded with an impressive performance by the Central New York Jazz Orchestra, an award-winning, regional “big band” made up of Central New York’s finest jazz musicians.