EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME
Groundbreaking: North Penn High School’s jazz band becomes the first non-New Orleans high school band invited to festival
North Penn High School Navy Jazz Band conductor David DiValentino tapped his feet, whiling swaying both hands gently in the air.
“A one, a one, a one, two, three,” he said.
One cue, the 23-member Navy Jazz Band, comprised of sophomores and seniors, erupted into a rendition of “Strike Up the Band” by Gershwin.
This is one of 12 tunes the band will perform at the reputable New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival April 28.
“It makes me proud that we are able to perform alongside professional musicians from all over the world,” DiValentino said during a rehearsal Tuesday. “This is going to be such a positive experience. It shows students that if you work hard, good things will happen.”
The band was invited to join a roaster of prominent musicians, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nick Jonas, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Young, by Gregory Davis, the Jazz Fest booking agent.
The Navy Jazz Band caught Davis’ ear last year when they performed with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band during the RiverJazz Festival in Bethlehem, Pa. The band received this honor after they won first place at the 2015 SteelStacks High School Jazz Band Showcase.
“I knew the opening band was going to be a school band, and as I listened to them run through a few songs, I figured they
"This is going to be such a positive experience. It shows students that if you work hard, good things will happen." — North Penn High School Navy Jazz Band conductor David DiValentino
were a college band,” Davis, a trumpeter with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, said in a news release. “I have been booking contemporary jazz at Jazz Fest since September 1998. I was able to draw a lot of talented groups from schools like Juilliard, BerkleY, Northwestern and the Monk School. As far as high schools, the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts is the only one that plays Jazz Fest consistently… This was the first time I invited a high school that isn’t from the New Orleans area to perform at the festival.”
The first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was in 1970 and organized by George Wein who was behind the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals, according to NOJazzFest.com, the official website for Jazz
Fest. From the beginning, the festival was envisioned to be an event that “would have great cultural significance and popular appeal,” and the vision still stands.
Legendary artists Mahalia Jackson, Duke Ellington,
Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Green, Joni Mitchell, The Temptations, Gladys Knight and many others have performed at Jazz Fest.
Students are excited they’ll be able to say they
played a festival many great musicians have been part of. Several called this an “once-in-a-lifetime” experience.
Senior Emma Sweeney, 18, a bassist, said she is thrilled about performing at Jazz Fest and visiting New Orleans. Besides performing in front of thousands, she can’t wait to immerse herself in the culture, food and music the city has to offer.
Fellow senior Nabil Muquit, 18, a saxophonist, has been in jazz band since middle school. He loves the fluidity and freedom jazz music is known for and is influenced by rap, hip hop and reggae.
Muquit, who has several jazz solos throughout the performance, looks forward to taking the stage with his fellow band members.
“We want to inspire the audience with our music,” Muquit said. “I like playing music for myself, but I really like playing it for others. I hope we can give the audience an experience they have never had before.”