Essentially Ellington

Pack your saxophones and trombones, jazz bands from Bothell High School, Mountlake Terrace High School, Garfield High School and Roosevelt High School are heading to New York City.

Recent Lynwood High School graduate Jaeden Rubio is the KNKX School of Jazz guest DJ at 7pm July 11.

For high school jazz musicians, the annual Essentially Ellington competition is a big deal. Two Garfield High School students describe how attending is rewarding but isn't some mythological peak.

Garfield Jazz hit a high note when they qualified for the prestigious jazz competition in February. But then they realized two other schools planned to perform the same material.

The Roosevelt High School jazz band, under the direction of Hannah Mowry, brought an all-star quintet to play a session at KNKX.

Garfield High School's top jazz ensemble spent months honing a cohesive sound and mastering advanced compositions, bringing it all together in their successful audition for the prestigious national competition.

In the world of competitive high school jazz, Garfield High School's Jazz Ensemble I is one of the most formidable competitors in the nation. Band director Jared Sessink credits the program's ongoing success to the students' investment in that legacy.

Senior guitarist at Mt. Si High School, Lance Taber offers an hour of his favorite jazz on KNKX.

Jazz at Lincoln Center's annual Essentially Ellington high school jazz band competition announced its 15 finalists for 2023. Washington is once again well-represented with Bothell High School, Roosevelt High School and Garfield High School among the finalists.

An all-star ensemble from Mt. Si High School, with mentor Michael Glynn on bass, performed a KNKX School of Jazz session at Boxley's in North Bend.