JAZZ
AT SEVENOAKS
“ Education is important but jazz is importanterer .”
The jazz element of the Music department makes it by far the noisiest department in the school . Under the direction of Mr Beston , the jazz programme engages with over 10 per cent of the student body and offers a wide variety of musical opportunities to students throughout their school career .
This year has seen the continued success of the department ’ s Crash into Christmas and Sevenoaks Swings concerts . These highlights of the year were a celebration of the students and their music . With repertoire ranging from Glenn Miller to Michael Jackson and year groups ranging from 7 to 13 , as well as over 100 students performing in total , jazz ’ s power to bring the school community together was very audible .
In March , Mr Beston and Mr Rands-Webb accompanied several students on a memorable trip to Ronnie Scott ’ s to watch the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Jesus Molina . The gig was a masterclass in performing and was an outstanding opportunity to see such expertise up close .
The band ’ s attitude to the music showed grace and humour , and they finished the set with a fun rendition of ‘ I Will Always Love You ’.
Another notable moment for jazz at Sevenoaks was when the school ’ s Parker Saxophone Quartet ( Ansh Soni , Patrick D ’ Urso , Bolun Zhang and me ) infiltrated the final of the national , notoriously classical , Pro Corda chamber music competition . Although we did not win , we were more than happy to inflict some fun upon the judges , putting smiles on the audience ’ s faces and our own .
This year ’ s Jazz Club concert was again an outstanding opportunity for the most involved jazz students to play with a professional band . This was a fantastic way for the Upper Sixth to celebrate what they have learned playing jazz during their time at Sevenoaks and to experience what it is like to pursue jazz at the highest level . Also , this allowed Freddie Pointon to stretch the legs of the department ’ s newest recruit , the beautiful Yanagisawa baritone saxophone .
To conclude , this last year has shown how jazz at Sevenoaks has brought more noisiness than ever to the life of the school ! We thank Mr Beston and all the staff in the Music department for their tremendous support .
Alfie Beston , Lower Sixth
50 MUSIC REVIEW