Ryan Scotte( Lower Sixth) to sing‘ Hotel California’ by the Eagles. We also had Swings Singers singing‘ Chattanooga Choo Choo’, and the Lower School Woods Ensemble. Next was the Gillespie Ensemble and then, to end the first half, the Middle School Jazz Band, playing‘ Tequila’( with teachers flying in from the wings to shout‘ Tequila!’),‘ Megalovania’( from Undertale) and‘ Lullaby of Birdland’. After the interval we heard the all-percussion Hit Squad, then the massive Saxophone Megaband – with over 30 saxophonists all playing at once. We then had the amazing improvisational group the Rollins Ensemble playing two pieces, including a jazzified Family Guy theme, and the Parker Sax Quartet playing two pieces, including the theme to Wallace and Gromit.( During the same term, this outstanding quartet again infiltrated the classical Pro Corda competition, with great success.) After that, the Big Band returned to play‘ I Wan’ na Be Like You’ from The Jungle Book,‘ Under My Skin’( sung by Seia Yano, Lower Sixth) and‘ Chewin’ the Fat’, before being joined by the huge Sevenoaks Choral Society, singing‘ Love Theory’ by Kirk Franklin. Finally, all the performers returned to the stage to sing and play‘ Hey Jude’ by The Beatles.
The Summer term opened with the Jazz Club concert. For one night only, the Sackville Theatre was
transformed into a cool jazz club, and some of the school’ s best jazz musicians had the chance to play, accompanied by a professional trio, receiving applause for each solo. This special concert always makes for a fantastic evening and it was a truly unique and memorable experience for the students. Near the end of term, as the busy exam season drew to a close, we held an open-air jazz performance on Claridge lawn, with saxophone, brass and guitar ensembles lit by the evening sun.
A huge thank you to all the musicians, the box office, the Music department and of course Mr Beston, our Head of Jazz, for enabling all of these concerts to happen, as without them Sevenoaks School wouldn’ t be the same place. It is a privilege to be at a school with such a thriving jazz programme. Also, a huge thank you and goodbye to all of our departing jazzy Upper Sixths: Oreofe Akinola, Alfie Beston, Tom Bulley, Kazimir Burt, Beatrice Harley, Alex Leu, Theo Sainsbury and Sam Tansley.
I highly recommend coming to as many of next year’ s jazz events as possible, as they truly are something special – there is such a high standard of music and such a range of talent in the school.
Seth Taylor, Year 10
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