They're jazzed about playing Newport

Ipswich High 2008 graduate Zachary Gorrell has Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, and Wayne Shorter in his CD collection.

In August, he'll share the bill with them. The award-winning Ipswich High Jazz Ensemble will add to its legacy when it performs at the JVC Jazz Festival-Newport, Aug. 8-10 in Rhode Island.

"I was stunned," said Gorrell, who plays alto sax. "I didn't think this would ever happen."

Ipswich and Beverly are both abuzz at the news that their jazz ensembles were the only two high school bands selected to play at the festival.

"The kids are about as excited as they can be," said Ray Novack, music facilitator and band director at Beverly High School. "They're e-mailing me 'This is the coolest thing ever. I can't believe we were asked.' They're pretty pumped."

For recent graduates, the selection to play in the festival put an exclamation point on their high school music careers.

"I was blown away, especially when I found out that Herbie Hancock was playing," said Christopher Bodek, a 2008 Beverly grad (alto sax) who'll be making his first trip to Newport. "I've looked up to him for years."

Ipswich High guitarist Jack Pardee, Gorrell, and a few other friends were planning to attend the festival to enjoy the music.

"To be actually able to perform at Newport the first time you go to see it, that's really amazing," said Pardee, a school-choice student from Rockport who hopes to become a professional musician.

The two bands will join a lineup that includes Hancock (2007 Grammy winner for Album of the Year), Rollins, Aretha Franklin, and other top stars at a jazz festival that's considered one of the best in the country.

"This is such a unique chance for students to experience the jazz festival, and a jazz festival with a great history," said Gerry Dolan, fine arts coordinator and band director for the Ipswich public schools. "This gives them a unique opportunity to be a part of that."

By welcoming Ipswich and Beverly, the festival is promoting the genre to a new generation while also rewarding the dedication young musicians have to the craft, according to Jason Olaine, Newport's artistic director. A high school band has not been invited to play at Newport in more than a decade.

"We're trying to bring in younger folk to be a part of the festival," Olaine said. "We're saying that not everybody has to wait until they've gone to college and made a record and become famous before they play here.

"Kids in high school jazz bands are really dedicated," added Olaine, recalling his own experiences as a high school trumpet player. "They have band practice at night, band practice during the school day, and to get the opportunity to play at a real live jazz festival will be something to remember."

The Ipswich Jazz Ensemble will play on one of the side stages close to the festival's entrance at 10 a.m. on the Saturday of festival weekend. Beverly will play Sunday, also at 10 a.m. The bands will be the first of the day, Olaine said, and their music will be what many people hear as they walk through the gates.

"This will reward them for their hard work, and will be good for folks coming to the festival, who will get to hear some young musicians," Olaine said. "I'd like to see this become a part of what we do year in and year out."

Ipswich was selected in part because of its strong reputation. Dolan shares with pride the fact that a musician from Ipswich has been selected as the MVP in Northeast Mass. district competitions for the past 10 years.

The unit that plays in Newport will be the same group that won the 2008 gold medal in district and state competition.

"It's also about how they sound and how hard they work," said Dolan, who describes this year's ensemble as "a well-balanced group with good jazz soloists."

Based on its strong reputation, Olaine invited Ipswich to submit promotional material and a recording, which won the invitation.

"I have their CD right here," said Olaine, speaking by phone from Newport. "They're a fine young band."

While Beverly has yet to earn a gold medal at the state level, its jazz ensemble also has a long history of excellence. It has won district-level gold, and its alumni roster includes professional musicians such as trumpet player Brian Thompson, who once toured with Maynard Ferguson.

Beverly's jazz ensemble received its invitation based on a rerecommendation from a high place. Jill Davidson, Newport festival director, lives in Beverly and has a daughter in the high school chorus.

"I've seen them many times, and they're fantastic," she said.

Both directors plan to bring the band from the 2007-08 school year, including the just-graduated seniors. Dolan expects to have 25 musicians, Novack 20 to 25.

Over the next few weeks, both bands will be honing their skills for the performance. Novack said he plans to stick with the repertoire his band used during the school year.

"We'll do a high-energy program that's entertaining," he said.

Meanwhile, Dolan and assistant jazz band director Jamie Fremont Smith plan to introduce new music at the performance. Newburyport's David Schumacher, a saxophonist/composer/educator, has sent them some new charts, and the Boston-based New Life Jazz Orchestra also has offered new compositions.

"This is different music that people have not heard, and it highlights local composers," Dolan said.

For Pardee, the third member of his Rockport family to attend Ipswich primarily for the music education program, playing at Newport will give him firsthand exposure to the life of professional music production.

"I may be able to meet other musicians and ask, 'How did you get here?' " he said. "That's what I'm excited about, not just being there but getting a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes, and to get an idea about how something like this comes together."