Luna Waller has a lot going on. As the school year ends, Luna made time to share a diverse hour of her favorite jazz as the KNKX School of Jazz guest DJ for June.
Finishing her junior year at Snohomish High School, under the direction of band leader and popular saxophonist Brent Jensen, Luna keeps busy as the vibraphonist in the school’s jazz band and also plays clarinet and bass clarinet in symphonic and orchestral settings.
Luna Waller also plays a little guitar for fun, “I doodle around on it. They all give me something different to think about in music.”
The playlist for this guest DJ show is another example of Luna’s appreciation for a wide world of music. Frank Sinatra’s vintage crooning joins the hip-hop influenced large ensemble Snarky Puppy along with the vintage jazz funk of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters band.
Jazz seemed to come naturally to Luna Waller, despite early misconceptions. “I was always told when I was younger that I wouldn’t like jazz. ‘It’s hard to listen to,’ they would always say. Once I started playing jazz, I realized this is a diverse genre and you can always find something you enjoy in jazz.”
The teenage urge to rebel also informs Luna’s love for jazz. “Jazz has always been intended to be a new thing, like, something to make the older generation upset,” she laughed.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Waller continues to push her own musical abilities in creative ways. After seeing a video about building an octocontralto clarinet, the largest size of clarinet currently playable, Luna decided she had to make one too.
After two months designing the instrument, Waller has begun the 3-D printing process to build the instrument. “It’s sometimes incredibly frustrating to play, but it’s the concept that is important to me. I don’t have to wait for someone to build it for me, I can do it myself.”
Not that Waller is obsessed with modern innovations. She also brings Dave Brubeck’s hit “Take Five” to her show, a nearly century-old piece from the Nilo Menendez band, vibraphone legends Gary Burton and Milt Jackson, and a Glenn Miller favorite from 80 years ago.
Miller’s beautiful recording of “Moonlight Serenade” is the perfect ending to any event, according to Waller. It certainly is a perfect finish to this exciting and wonderfully contrasting School of Jazz guest DJ show.
What instrument do you play and why?
I play percussion, clarinet, bass clarinet, and guitar. I started playing clarinet and bass clarinet only a year ago. I then played them in my orchestra pit at my high school. But marimba and vibes will always have my heart. I play vibraphone in jazz and marimba in chamber music.
What is your all-time favorite jazz piece?
"Us" by Thad jones will always have my heart, it was the first song that truly swept me off my feet and showed me the true potential of jazz.
Who is your jazz hero?
I have two: Jordan Johnson, my old band director, got me into jazz originally. She practically forced me into jazz and showed me the potential of the vibraphone. However, Brent Jensen encouraged me and taught me most of what I know about jazz. He gave me so many chances to play when I first started jazz, and if it weren't for him, I probably would have quit jazz band.
Why jazz?
There is something special about the expressiveness of jazz. It's so vast and you can play however you want. Jazz is in nearly every environment. I also love how when playing jazz, it feels as if you're talking with the other players. There is something so special about jazz.
