Jazz is alive and well at the Achievable Dream Academy. I
had the pleasure of spending 2 days listening and playing
with some very talented young musicians while they
prepared and performed at the James Madison University Tri
State Jazz Festival. During their final rehearsal at the
Academy, one young lady set the tone for the entire
weekend when she suddenly exclaimed “Wow, we really sound
good!”
The faces on these youngsters were
priceless as they played jazz selections from Duke
Ellington to Charlie Parker. First up was Ellington’s
In a Mellow Tone with solo performances from Veronica
Swift (vocals), Ryan Lindsay (trombone), and Tyler Lindsay
(trumpet). Ricky Rivera was particularly impressive on the
acoustic bass, which he had only been playing for only
about 6 weeks.
The band immediately followed with
A Song for my Father. This piece featured a strong
trumpet solo by Robert Thigpen and a wonderful sax solo by
La’Brea Bryant. Little Ryan Lindsay wowed the audience
with a solo on a trombone that was almost as tall as he
was. The rhythm section on this tune was very tight and
together which energized the entire band.
They wrapped up their performance
with various tunes from Charlie Parker and Thelonious
Monk. Mr. Dave Adams, the group’s director, required all
of his students to be especially well-grounded in these
composers, who were critical to the development of modern
jazz. Among the many solos was a memorable vocal scat by
Veronica Swift. Ricky Rivera closed the medley out with a
very fine bass solo on Monk’s Straight no Chaser.
When their performance was finished,
I think we all collectively breathed a sigh of relief that
it was finally over. But the smiles on their faces clearly
told the story that all their hours of hard work was well
worth it in the end. The band received a thunderous
ovation from the audience as well as the lion’s share of
trophies and medals. In fact six awards were given to
members of the band including special recognition on
trombone (Ryan Lindsay), sax (La’Brea Bryant), and piano
(Tyler Lindsay). Additionally 3 members received
outstanding overall awards for bass (Ricky Rivera),
trumpet (Tyler Lindsay), and vocals (Veronica Swift). All
in all the weekend was an experience these young people
will probably never forget. I know I never will.
