Upper School Jazz Band Prepares for The Bush School Music Showcase

Upper School Music Faculty Landon Ashby, who’s in his first year at Bush, aimed to share his twenty-five plus years of musical knowledge by piecing together a jazz band, which now has about twenty musicians. Students meet for jazz band practice on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30- 4:30 p.m., and on Wednesday mornings from 8:15-9:15 a.m. Landon also teaches a music class called Ensemble, which is more pop/rock music orientated. Students taking Jazz Band and Ensemble will perform the songs they’ve learned at the Upper School Music Showcase.

“I’ve made some really good connections at Jazz Band,” said Upper School student Ayaan B., ’27. “I met new people that I don’t see in my usual classes, and I’ve learned a lot from them as musicians and as people.”

“I’ve been playing the drums for a while and completed Ensemble I and Ensemble II at Bush,” said Upper School student Lincoln N., ’25. “I really missed the sense of community that a band fostered, so when Landon announced he would be forming a jazz band, I was super excited to continue playing drums as part of another group.”

Since the start of the year, jazz band students have practiced new instruments and songs while learning about the most influential jazz musicians of all time. 

“We started learning a tune called C Jam Blues by Duke Ellington, because blues is one of the foundations of jazz,” Landon said. “There’s only four chords in the song, making it accessible to anyone who wants to jump in. It helped get everyone playing immediately, no matter what their skill level was.”

After Landon selected the tunes, he informed the students on the history behind the songs and the composer, Duke Ellington, who was an established pianist. They’ve learned about the importance of jazz, and how it’s heavily influenced modern music.

“They’re also learning a tune called Autumn Leaves, which is another accessible song for younger players,” Landon said. “It uses a chord progression called a 2-5-1, which is the mainstay of jazz songwriting.” 

Autumn Leaves is an English language version of Les Feuilles Mortes (The Dead Leaves), which was originally composed by Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prévert. The English lyrics were written by composer Johnny Mercer and later recorded by other popular musicians such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby.

“There’s something special about the swing of jazz that you don’t get from any other genre,” Lincoln said. 

Landon informed students who have never played an instrument that it’s not too late to join the Jazz Band. This inclusive extracurricular activity is made for players from all musical backgrounds and has encouraged students to practice often and lean into repetition. He hopes to change his students’ perception of jazz by teaching them about its influence on modern-day genres like hip-hop and rock.

“This is my first time playing jazz music and I’m really enjoying it so far,” said Ayaan. “I used to play guitar a long time ago, but joining a jazz band inspired me to pick guitar back up.” 

The Bush Jazz Band had their first performance at the Upper School Open House on Sunday, November 17, and performed for families, friends, and fellow students. This gave them an opportunity to play in front of an audience and share everything they’ve learned during practice. The Upper School Jazz Band and all Music Ensemble classes will perform on Tuesday, December 10 at the Upper School Music Showcase. After these events, they’ll perform again at Venue, an all-comers musical performance show, on Thursday, December 12.