Chameleon Named a Finalist in the 27th Annual Essentially Ellington Competition

Newark Academy’s jazz band, "Chameleon," was chosen as one of the 15 finalists to perform at the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, which will be held May 5-7, 2022 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.  The school will be making its sixth appearance at Essentially Ellington, under the leadership of Jazz Director Julius Tolentino. The Newark Academy Jazz Band has been recognized nationally, earning first place at the Mid Atlantic Jazz Festival Competition and the Charles Mingus Festival in previous years. In addition, Chameleon has been awarded first place in the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education State Festival for 10 years straight and has placed as high as second in the country at Essentially Ellington.

The annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival is one of the most innovative jazz education events in the world. It is known as the “Super Bowl” of high school jazz band competitions, attracting the top programs in the country to make an audition tape. Jazz at Lincoln Center selects 15 bands from over 100 submissions.  The 15 finalists will travel to New York City to spend three days immersed in workshops, jam sessions, rehearsals and performances at the “House of Swing” Frederick P. Rose Hall, in Jazz at Lincoln Center.

The Competition & Festival is the culmination of the yearlong Essentially Ellington program, during which participating bands are invited to submit a recording, and 15 finalists are selected through a rigorous screening process. Each finalist band receives an in-school workshop led by a professional musician before traveling to New York City to perform before internationally acclaimed jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and a panel of esteemed judges. The festival concludes with a concert and awards ceremony featuring the three top-placing bands and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.