Jazz hands only.

Jazz Band, along with other schools, will be performing at Jazz Festival on Feb. 11.

“It’s a very exciting day for the students, the community and the school itself,” says David Seifert the head of the Jazz bands. “It’s a crazy day a lot goes into it.”

This year is the 14th annual Jazz Festival and up to 15 other schools will be here performing and getting clinic from professionals. Jazz Festival will begin at 9 a.m. and end around 9 p.m. with the evening concert.

Students will have the opportunity to have clinics from professional adjudicators coming from around the area. They event will be held at ETHS and will be carried out through both the little theater and the auditorium.

“It creates a connection with other schools in the area,” says Seifert. “With other school come to ETHS and around 40 bands total will play in either the Little Theater or the Auditorium.

“The groups that are coming are the top groups,” junior Simon Lequar says. “One of the separations between Jazz Festival from other concerts is the quality of music and quality of the bands.”

The ETHS Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Band and the many Jazz Combos will preform at this event. Jazz festivals is a way of bringing all the students together and learn from each other and also take classes from other experts. There will be master classes for specific sections in the jazz bands.

There will be two overall performances of the day, one in the afternoon where the smaller jazz bands will perform, and the other in the evening for larger bands.

The school will also welcome the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars, paying tribute to him honor of his upcoming 100th birthday this year. Dizzy Gillespie was an American jazz trumpeter and a bandleader.

They also are expecting the Bob Lark alumni band. Bob Lark was a Professor of Jazz from DePaul University. They will be playing for the afternoon performance.

The top bands will be opening for the Dizzy Gillespie All-stars. “We spend a lot of time polishing music and making adjustments,” sophomore Meadgine Ilment says. They will perform the songs Salt Peanut by Dizzy Gillespie and Granada Smoothie by Mark Taylor.

Jazz Festival is always an exciting time of year and allows music performers a unique opportunity to preform with some of the best student musicians in their area.

“It creates a buzz in the community and promotes the jazz program,” Seifert says.

Tickets for jazz festival will cost $15 dollars for students and $20 for adults.

Jazz festival will take place on Feb. 11 and run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Check out this link to buy your ticket. http://bit.ly/2jBdW1G