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Chameleon Jazz Band Named a Finalist in the 29th Essentially Ellington Competition
Newark Academy’s jazz band, Chameleon, was chosen as one of just 15 finalists throughout the United States to perform at the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, which will be held May 9-11, 2024 at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Chameleon will be making its seventh 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 12 years straight and has placed as high as second in the country at Essentially Ellington.
“I’m so proud of this group,” says Julius. “When we didn’t make it into the festival last year, my students made an even deeper commitment to getting back. We will be sharing the stage with the top 15 bands in the country playing for Wynton Marsalis and some of the greatest jazz musicians of our time. There is nothing like Essentially Ellington and we are going to enjoy every minute of it!”
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.
An independent school for students in grades 6-12