94 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2019 42nd ANNUAL JUNE 2019 DOWNBEAT 95 JeJenna McLean, from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, is the Graduate College Wininner in the Vocal Jazz Soloist category. She is also the recipient of an Outstanding Arrangement honor. 42nd Student Music Awards WELCOME TO THE 42nd ANNUAL DOWNBEAT STUDENT MUSIC AWARDS The UNT Jazz Singers from the University of North Texas in Denton are a winner in the Graduate College division of the Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble category. WELCOME TO THE FUTURE. WE’RE PROUD after year. (The same is true for certain junior to present the results of the 42nd Annual high schools, high schools and after-school DownBeat Student Music Awards (SMAs). In programs.) Such sustained success cannot be this section of the magazine, you will read the attributed to the work of one visionary pro- 102 | JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL SOLOIST names and see the photos of some of the finest gram director or one great teacher. Ongoing young musicians on the planet. success on this scale results from the collec- 108 | LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE Some of these youngsters are on the path tive efforts of faculty members who perpetu- to becoming the jazz stars and/or jazz edu- ally nurture a culture of excellence. 116 | VOCAL JAZZ SOLOIST cators of tomorrow. (New music I’m cur- DownBeat reached out to Dana Landry, rently enjoying includes the 2019 albums by director of jazz studies at the University of 124 | BLUES/POP/ROCK GROUP Norah Jones, Brad Mehldau, Chris Potter and Northern Colorado, to inquire about the keys 132 | JAZZ ARRANGEMENT Kendrick Scott—all former SMA competitors.) to building an atmosphere of excellence. His In music, as in sports, it takes much more response is inspiring: “Early on, we committed 136 | DOWNBEAT JAZZ EDUCATION than great talent to succeed. Talent must be to creating a nurturing environment where HALL OF FAME: JERRY COKER combined with hard work, rigorous practice students feel empowered to pursue their own and the support of caring, sensitive mentors. artistic paths. We decided to focus on groove, 138 | DOWNBEAT JAZZ EDUCATION On the following pages, the names of cer- sound, repertoire, imagination and the emo- ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: tain institutions recur: Manhattan School of tional side of music. The expectations we set ALBERTO DE LA REGUERA Music in New York City, Frost School of Music have been largely on process and progress, at the University of Miami, Western Michigan keeping in mind that getting better is more 140 | DOWNBEAT JAZZ EDUCATION University in Kalamazoo, the University of important than getting good.” ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: North Texas in Denton, the University of Striving to get better is a notion that will JULIET GREEN Northern Colorado in Greeley and the Bob serve students well—regardless of the career Cole Conservatory of Music at California State path they choose. The drive to improve oneself 98 | DOWNBEAT STUDENT MUSIC University, Long Beach—just to name a few. is something that we can all support—whether AWARDS–COMPLETE RESULTS Those colleges, as well as many others, we’re looking into the eyes of a student or look- have tended to generate SMA winners year ing into a mirror. —Bobby Reed 96 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2019 JUNE 2019 DOWNBEAT 97 42nd Student Music Awards COMPLETE RESULTS Jazz Ensemble I from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond Gabriel Severn High School Winners Max Hubbard JAZZ SOLOIST Bass Alto Saxophone Loyalsock Township Ethan Avery Champaign Central Junior High School Winner Middle School Trumpet High School Jameson Mair Eddie Severn Crossroads School for the Arts John Currey Trumpet Williamsport, PA and Sciences Champaign, IL Evan Avery Prairie Trail Middle School Santa Monica, CA Jena McElwain Junior High School Honors High School Honors Winners Olathe, KS Outstanding Performances Robert Varon Henry Acker Guitar Dylan Buckser-Schulz Guitar Junior High School Pittsford Mendon High School Duxbury High School Drums Paul Maguda Outstanding Performance Lagond Music School Frank Vignola Pittsford, NY Duxbury, MA Jacquie Lee Jerad Lippi Violin Elmsford, NY High School Vittorio Stropoli Piano Glenfield Middle School Felipe Feldman Outstanding Performances Jon Ward Alto Saxophone The Masters School Eli Zukor-Zimmermann Jeremy Manasia (MSM Montclair, NJ Easterbrook Discovery School Tenor Saxophone Precollege program) Scott Barnhill Washburn High School New York, NY Junior High School San Jose, CA Honors Winners Tim Martin Nick Caldwell Minneapolis, MN High School Honors Brandon Goldberg Tenor Saxophone Jett Lim Outstanding Performances Piano Young Lions Jazz Trombone Pine Crest School Conservatory Albany High School Cole Palensky Paul Posnak Gilbert Castellanos Craig Bryant Tenor Saxophone Fort Lauderdale, FL San Diego, CA Albany, CA Papillion-La Vista South 98 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2019 SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Combo from SFJAZZ in San Francisco High School Florida State University Darren Pettit Rodney Jordan Papillion, NE Tallahassee, FL Daiki Nakajima Tenor Saxophone Graduate College Winner SFJAZZ Nicholas Olynciw Dann Zinn Piano San Francisco, CA Western Michigan University Matthew Fries Community College Kalamazoo, MI Outstanding Performance Arek Gralnic Graduate College Guitar Outstanding Performances MiraCosta College Matteo Sabattini Steve Torok Alto and Soprano Oceanside, CA Saxophones University of Northern Undergraduate College Winner Colorado Varun Das Ludek Drizhal Drums Greeley, CO Manhattan School of Music Nathan Borton John Riley Guitar New York, NY Michigan State University Randy Napoleon Undergraduate College East Lansing, MI Outstanding Performances Dave Mosko SMALL JAZZ COMBO Trombone Rutgers University–New Junior High School Brunswick Honors Winner Conrad Herwig New Brunswick, NJ The Shea Welsh Institute of Jazz Middle School Elias Lucero All-Stars Guitar The Shea Welsh Institute Sacramento State University of Jazz Steve Roach Shea Welsh Sacramento, CA Los Angeles, CA Max Holm Piano High School Winners Berklee College of Music Harvard-Westlake Jazz Laszlo Gardony Explorers Boston, MA Harvard-Westlake School Mikailo Kasha Shawn Costantino Bass Studio City, CA JUNE 2019 DOWNBEAT 99 DARIA HUXLEY Grace Giebler from Gretna High School in Nebraska Brandon Goldberg from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida Mingus Legacy Octet Jack Wagner Jim Gasior Undergraduate College Winner Rio Americano High School Ann Arbor, MI Miami, FL Josh Murray and Max Kiesner Fusion Ensemble Sacramento, CA Performing Arts Honors Ensemble Winners Columbia College Chicago High School Winner Bill Boris High School Rialto Youth Jazz Chicago, IL Outstanding Performances Impulse Orchestra Honors Combo Denver School of the Arts Various Georgia High Schools Undergraduate College Combo A Dave Hammond Kevin Bales Outstanding Performances Downey High School Denver, CO Tucker, GA Corneliu Olariu Daniel “Sky” SFJAZZ High School Szczepanski Band Downey, CA Performing Arts High School All-Stars Combo Outstanding Performance Berklee College of Music Unified Field Theory SFJAZZ Tiger Okoshi Ann Arbor Community Jazz Combo Dann Zinn Boston, MA High School New World School of the Arts San Francisco, CA Outstanding Soloist on Trumpet: Daniel Szczepanski Honors Ensemble Outstanding Performances UNLV Honors Trio University of Nevada, Las Vegas Colburn Jazz Dave Loeb Workshop Monday Las Vegas, NV Night Band Outstanding Soloist on Piano: Colburn Community School of Patrick Hogan Performing Arts Lee Secard Graduate College Winner Los Angeles, CA Vanguard Combo MSM Precollege University of Northern Colorado Manasia Combo James White Manhattan School of Music Greeley, CO Precollege Jeremy Manasia Graduate College New York, NY Outstanding Performances Teen Town Marc Schwartz Octet Various Pennsylvania Schools University of Northern Colorado Eddie Severn Andrew Dahlke Williamsport, PA Greeley, CO Community College Winner Ursula Reicher Void Quintet Jazz Combo University of Music and Schenectady County Performing Arts, Graz Community College Ed Partyka Brian Patneaude Graz, Austria Schenectaday, NY Community College LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE Outstanding Performance Junior High School Winner RSS Trio Kansas City Kansas Jazz Ensemble Community College Farmington Junior High School Jim Mair Heath Wolf Kansas City, KS Farmington, UT 100 DOWNBEAT JUNE 2019 JUNE 2019 DOWNBEAT 101 42nd Student Music Awards Ethan Avery Jacquie Lee Nicholas Olynciw Robert Varon Varun Das conducted by Paquito D’Rivera and to study with John Riley.” Support Systems Pianist Nicholas Olynciw, this year’s Grad- uate College winner, was first attracted to jazz by listening to his older brother Pete play up- right bass. for Young Talent “Pete had a teacher who got him into old- er players like Paul Chambers and Oscar Pet- THE JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL SOLOIST Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in tiford, and I just wanted to get on board and category clearly honors the ability of various Santa Monica, California, where Ethan is en- play jazz, too, by listening to Oscar Peterson. student musicians to express themselves at rolled. And, like his dad, Ethan plays trumpet. I’d been playing classical piano since I was 8, a high level on their chosen instruments. As “I had only been playing trumpet for a but by the time I was in seventh grade, I was five of this year’s honorees can attest, one couple years when I took my dad’s jazz pro- into jazz.” common denominator they share is a sup- gram at Crossroads School,” Avery said. “I Olynciw went on to attend the University port system that involves parents, siblings, found a real sense of community