The Auckland Jazz and Blues High School competition is an annual event for colleges around Auckland to compete and present their jazz bands and talents. Held at the Birkenhead RSA, this event is run by the Auckland Jazz and Blues Club.
This year our school took three jazz combos and our Big Band to compete. Competing in the first round of heats were our combos Macck and Cheese, Pickled Jam, and Peach Mango Pie along with our very own Big Band. Macck and Cheese, our youngest combo, performed a set of four pieces. Pickled Jam performed the pieces Fried pies, So Danco Samba, But Not for Me, and Crazy Race. Our Senior combo played Magnus, Bones, Bye-Bye Blackbird, and Smile like that. Finally, our Big Band performed Haitian Fight Song, This Can’t be Love, Mood Indigo, and Cold Duck Time.
After two consecutive weekends of heats, the organisers announced the top four combos and the top four Big Bands selected to perform in the final, within those eight groups were our very own Peach Mango Pie and Big Band.
Both groups performed spectacularly and brought much pride to our school. To round off the day of the final, they presented the awards to all competing bands. Although we did not take the award for best combo or big band, both finalists’ groups (Peach Mango Pie & Big Band), brought home Platinum awards – the top award given out – and our other two combos took home Gold awards. These results were incredible and reflected the hard work all the students and mentors put into this year’s competitions.
Congratulations to all the students who took part.
