HW Jazz Students attended a trip to New Orleans from Jan. 7–11. The trip was open to all jazz classes, with students from the Studio Band and Jazz Band classes performing. The jazz program hosts yearly trips, having traveled to Spain, Portugal, Italy and New York City.
Jazz is a style of music which originated in the late 19th-century to the early 20th-century in New Orleans, built around improvisation, rhythm and interaction between musicians. In New Orleans, jazz had many sources of influence. It was synthesized from musical styles from a multitude of cultures, including West African, Caribbean and European, according to the National Park Service (NPS) and Carnegie Hall.
Jazz teacher Chris Sullivan said that students were able to learn more about the origins of jazz by visiting landmarks and working with local musicians.
“We were mostly seeing music, working with local musicians, doing some different historical things like seeing landmarks and different cultural and important [things], especially given that New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz,” Sullivan said. “New York is the current mecca of jazz, so it’s rewarding in that way, but it was really interesting to learn about the roots of the music.”
Talia Landres ’28 said that the visit to New Orleans deepened her relationship with jazz.
“Visiting the birthplace of jazz made me feel a lot more connected to it because I got to learn and hear where it came from,” Landres said. “I had such a good time on the trip. I came back with so many new friends and experiences, and I’m really glad I went.”
This trip was centered around Jazz Education Network (JEN), which is the biggest jazz conference in the world according to Sullivan. The conference takes place in New Orleans every other year, and students were able to attend performances from the festival, perform in it and also participate in clinics by clinicians at the festival.
Marcus Collins ’27 said that he was able to grow as a musician by visiting New Orleans.
“The city really has a lot of spirit and you can feel the influence of jazz in every corner,” Collins said. “Since going on the trip I’ve been listening to a bit more older jazz instead of the modern stuff I usually like. The style there is very different from the modern New York jazz. It’s more soulful. Getting to go to the JEN conference and see performances and masterclasses from some of the best musicians in the world is definitely an experience I will keep with me as a musician.”
