NorCal Media Day On-Site Review Contest
In their first ever performance together as a collective ensemble, the Gunn High School Jazz Band delivered everything that would be expected of American jazz except for cohesiveness.
The young group of five, led by their own creativity and rhythm instead of a conductor's, began their performance with “There Will Never Be Another You” by Arry Warren, a light, swinging piece made dynamic by trumpet player David Leland’s robust, crooning vibrato. The richness of the brass, however, was distinctly overshadowed by Robert Nicolls’ less-than-precise thrumming of his five-stringed bass.
​
Softness eventually edged out into the sharp brightness of Luis Bonfa’s “Black Orpheus,” where guitarist Reid Devereaux took over from Leland. But while the mellow yet full-bodied drumming by percussionist Naveen Ram remained consistent and uniting throughout, Devereaux seemed to lose his place in the music at least twice, leaving dry gaps in an otherwise smooth composition.
​
The duration of the piece, unfortunately, remained wobbly. While the instruments didn’t exactly clash, tempi tangled unforgivingly when trombonist Keenan Lewis lagged a bit too long on ending fermatas. It wasn’t surprising when the band later revealed this song consisted mostly of improv.
​
“Regular band is so rigid,” Devereaux said. “You can’t change what’s written.”
​
Despite their shocking inexperience, talent is definitely not lacking in the Gunn Jazz Band. The music was undoubtedly colorful, with mood-morphing elements present in every song, and vibrancy still shone through slightly disjointed melodies. They may not currently be the most harmonious group of high schoolers, but the prospect of improvement is definite with continued practice.
​
“We will try to take all the opportunities to play as much as we can,” said Ram. “We want to get it right.”