On Feb. 24, the Niles North Jazz Band will travel to Rolling Meadows High School to participate in the 39th annual Jazz in the Meadows festival, known as the largest student jazz festival across the Midwest.
The festival began to be held on an annual basis beginning in 1985, bringing together the most talented high school musicians across the Midwest to collectively celebrate the world of jazz. Unlike previous years, this year’s jazz band has split into three separate ensembles due to its increased size of 33 musicians, which demands additional instrumentation. According to the program, these groups will be labeled respectively as Niles North HS I, Niles North HS II, and the Niles North HS Combo. See here for a complete schedule of the student ensembles that will be performing throughout the festival.
The Niles North HS I ensemble will run through a set list that includes the songs “Jolly Beach” by Annie Booth, “Dreamin’ in Swingtime” by Paul Baker, and “Livin’ Larger than Life” by Alan Baylock. Performing in the Theater at 9:30 am, the group will compete under the class 4A division.
Junior drummer and Niles North HS I ensemble member Ben Buhay reflects on the challenges that come with preparing for a competitive performance.
“[One challenge is] just staying consistent for each run through because we’ve done it so many times that people get bored,” Buhay said. “[Another challenge is] having better solos, like better ideas and not being too nervous.”
On the other hand, the Niles North HS II ensemble, will play through a set list including the songs “Mr. V” by Camila Vaitaitis, “Whisper Not” by Benny Golson, and “Misteriosa” by Michele Fernández. Performing in the Theater at 11 am, the group will take part as a non competing member of the class 4A division.
Sophomore upright bass player and Niles North HS II ensemble member Aaron Clippert shares the aspects he looks forward to most while seeking to attend the second Jazz in the Meadows festival of his high school career.
“This is actually my second time at Jazz in the Meadows because I did play my freshman year,” Clippert said. “It was a lot of fun last year [even though I was in crutches] and we actually did place in the top division. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and having fun again this year, but the thing I’m looking forward to the most is hopefully placing in the top division again.”
Lastly, the Niles North HS Combo will perform the songs “Her eyes are blue and sometimes gray” by the Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, “Gymnopedie No. 1” by Erik Satie, and “I Remember You” by Mark Taylor. Performing in the Black Box at 12:30 pm, the group will compete exclusively against the other combos partaking in this year’s festival.
Band director Michael Moehlmann outlines the goals he hopes to see his ensembles achieve during the festival.
“My personal goal is always wrapped up into the goals of the ensemble,” Moehlmann said. “As a teacher, I’m always trying to make sure that I’m putting all my students in the best setting to succeed as best as possible. And I think we’ve done that so far. So at some point, though, as much as I’d like to say I could, you know, wave my hands and make sure everything goes great. It does come down to the students at some point and how they perform and how they take what we’ve been working on and put it into an actual performance setting”.
After winning the Division I distinction for their performance during the 2023 festival, one of the highest awards given to competing ensembles based on the scoring rubric, spirits are high when it comes to potential for this year’s Jazz in the Meadows. With a chance to display their talents to an audience beyond the school community, taking advantage of this indispensable opportunity will be key.
