Toni Burks Photography
The Carroll Jazz Band won seven awards from the 2021 Essentially Ellington Festival this past weekend. From June 4 to 6, the Carroll Jazz Band participated in the festival alongside 15 other programs across the nation. All of the bands got to participate in masterclasses, Q&As, virtual jam sessions and performances. And by the end of the weekend, the festival announced its awards, and Carroll Jazz won seven of them.
“We were pleasantly surprised to win three section awards and four individual soloist awards at this year’s contest,” CISD director of jazz bands David Lown says. “This is Carroll’s sixth time as a finalist, and I’m so proud of their hard work.”
According to the festival results, Carroll Jazz won for outstanding rhythm, saxophone and brass section, while the soloist awards included alto saxophonist Justin Wu, baritone saxophonist Diego Pena and trumpet players Hudson Koonsman and Chase Adams. David says he hopes Essentially Ellington will return to an in-person competition in New York next year, but regardless, he’s grateful that the event organizers put together another successful virtual experience for his students.
“The people at Jazz at Lincoln Center did an amazing job this year putting on the virtual festival,” David says. “Our students were really enriched by the whole process.”