MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Acclaimed jazz trombonist and educator Francisco Torres will lead workshops next week at three local area high schools whose bands are preparing to compete for the first time together in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s prestigious Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival.
Torres will hold a clinic Monday, March 30, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Mountlake Terrace High School. He will visit Bothell High School on Tuesday, March 31, from 8 a.m. to noon and Shorewood High School on Wednesday, April 1, from 1 to 5 p.m.
The three schools are among 20 selected from 119 applicants worldwide to participate in the 31st annual festival, set for April 30-May 2 in New York City. The event honors Duke Ellington’s legacy through performances, education sessions and a final concert and awards ceremony at Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Mountlake Terrace High School’s Jazz Ensemble 1, directed by Darin Faul, earned its 11th invitation to Essentially Ellington. The group last appeared in 2020 and has placed third twice and received honorable mention once. It has also performed at major regional events including Hot Java Cool Jazz and the KPLU School of Jazz for the past 30 years.
Bothell High School’s Jazz Band 1, under director Philip Dean, will make its fifth straight appearance. Matt Simmons, who has directed the school’s Jazz 2 ensemble for 22 years, is also working with the group. The program emphasizes improvisation and all styles of jazz alongside traditional concert ensembles.
Shorewood High School’s Jazz Band 1, directed by Dan Baker, returns to the competition for the first time since the 2000s after earlier appearances in 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2008. Students rehearse before school in a “zero period” class.
Torres, a native of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, has built a career as a trombonist, bass trombonist, composer and arranger specializing in Latin jazz. He served 12 years as musical director, producer and arranger for Grammy-winning percussionist Poncho Sanchez. He is a member of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band and John Beasley’s Monkestra and has performed or recorded with Arturo Sandoval, Bill Holman, the Manhattan Transfer, Terence Blanchard, Santana and Aretha Franklin, among others.
The clinics will give students direct feedback from a professional perspective similar to that of the festival judges, organizers said.
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington program has shaped thousands of young musicians and educators since its founding, fostering a global community dedicated to Ellington’s music. The festival includes educational activities and big-band competitions before the culminating awards event.
Jazz at Lincoln Center is led by Chairman Clarence Otis, Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, and Executive Director Greg Scholl.
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Author: Mario Lotmore
