They burn, they swing, they have serious style — they are the South Whidbey jazz bands

They use words like “burnin’,” “talented,” “focused” and “learning how to swing with some serious style” to describe their jazz students. They talk about that “voracious tenor,” “the hardest working gal in show business,” or the section leaders who play “with great style, tone and confidence.”

They use words like “burnin’,” “talented,” “focused” and “learning how to swing with some serious style” to describe their jazz students.

They talk about that “voracious tenor,” “the hardest working gal in show business,” or the section leaders who play “with great style, tone and confidence.”

Chris Harshman and Jessica Foley are charged with not only teaching music, but with teaching young musicians how to feel their way through an instrument to create one of the greatest American art forms of all time. The students have not let them down.

Harshman is the director of the South Whidbey High School Jazz Ensemble and Foley directs the Langley Middle School Jazz Band. They both make it very clear how impressed they are each day in the rehearsal studio. They speak of teaching these jazz students as if they were given a gift.

Lucky for them they have such hard-working and talented crews, because both bands have a heavy roster of gigs to perform.

The high school jazz band’s next event is the Sweetheart’s Ball at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 11 at the high school’s Little Theater, and at which the middle school jazz band will also play. It’s a big-band evening of dance and desserts, and the community is invited.

The Sweetheart’s Ball is a fundraiser to help defray the cost of both bands’ trip to the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho on Feb. 24-27. After that, the month of March is chock full of engagements, including the All Island Jazz Festival, a concert at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts to support the school jazz program, and the South Whidbey High School Music Department Concert at which the choir will also perform.

This schedule might seem daunting to a run-of-the-mill band, but these two energetic groups have made it clear to Harshman and Foley to bring it on.

At the middle school, there are 17 new members in a band of 22, but Foley remains undaunted.

“Luckily the existing members in the band from last year are stellar, and somehow seem to be situated in just the right places to help me lead the band,” Foley said.

The section leaders, she said, are showing great style, tone and confidence that helps to guide the newcomers. They include Audrey Neubauer (alto sax), Jonas Anderson and Cole Zink (trumpet), Lily Simpson (trombone) and Garrett Poteat (piano).

In the rhythm section everybody is new, except for pianist Poteat. But even though they’ve had to rebuild, Foley said their improvement has blown her away.

“We have gone from learning how to hold our instruments (in some cases), to learning how to swing, and with some serious style,” she said.

“I’m very proud of the work we do together in our rehearsals. These kids work so hard and you can hear the results in their playing.”

Foley had something good to say about each and every band member, no matter what level of experience. They also include Kris Watson, Conor Workman, Jake Papritz, Sanna Bjork, Lily Simpson, Reganne Brown, Nicolas Simmons, Caitlin Buchanan, Joe Ballestrasse, Tesla Dussault, Jason Li, Macey Bishop, Joel Worster, Gabrielle Cepowski, Miles Webb, Liam Twomey and Kaj Lund-Olsen.

Ultimately, Foley has challenged her band to set certain goals for themselves, such as improvisation and to take that big step to solo — which several students have stepped up to bravely. She also is concentrating on getting the musicians to carve out the details of the songs so the audience can enjoy contrasts, crescendos and decrescendos in all styles of tunes, from “C Jam Blues,” by Duke Ellington; “Past My Bedtime,” by Terry White; “Round Midnight,” by Cootie Williams and Thelonious Monk; “Afro Blue,” by Mongo Santamaria; and “Cozy Toes” by Lennie Niehaus.

Performing for the first time together in November at the Northshore Jazz Festival, Foley said the band was told they could possibly be the best sounding middle school jazz band in the state.

That’s good news for Harshman, because he can look forward to some talented middle schoolers for his high school band of the future. But the crew he has now ain’t so bad either.

“This year would normally be seen as a building year with the loss of so many talented seniors from last year,” Harshman said.

“However this year’s band has been working double time to become a very talented band in its own right,” he added.

The high schoolers have already impressed their bandleader with an excellent recording that was submitted for the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival in New York, and this group continues to surprise Harshman with its attack-style work ethic.

He said although the rhythm section is fairly young, there is an excellent focus on style and feel.

With three outstanding piano players in Amy Arand, Lucy Rock and Jack Hood, the band is blessed, Harshman said, for each player’s ability to bring her or his own sound and strengths to the mix.

On guitar is Sean Leisle, the glue of the section and the one who holds it all together.

Add to that a “fantastic” bass player in Sylvie Kaul-Anderson who, Harshman said, just keeps getting better and better. And a rhythm section would be nothing without a drummer, and Connor McCauley brings great energy and detail to what is the foundation of every band.

The trombone section is led by Seth Sobottka on French horn, who Harshman said is a mature musician who is extremely versatile both as an instrumentalist and vocalist. Add to that several up-and-coming trombonists, including Austin Drake, Jameson Gavac, Michelle Casey and Sommer Harris, who just decided to learn the trombone so she could play in the jazz ensemble.

“Sommer’s amazing desire and positive approach has developed into her becoming a very fine trombonist,” Harshman said.

The trumpet section is not only huge in size, but in sound, as well. Led by Evan Mattens’ “swingin’ solos” and powerful lead playing, he has support from the “impeccable” Jenny Zisette and Will Mellish and two very strong freshmen, Maddy Jerome and Dominique Knight.

“The trumpet section is packed with quality,” Harshman said. “Zoe Hensler rounds out the section as the ‘Jazz Player’ and has become a true source of inspiration for all of us, as she has stepped up her level of improvisation and pushes the band to new heights.”

Finally, the saxophone players are no slouches either.

Lead player Sidney Hauser is the musician Harshman refers to as “the hardest working gal in show business.”

“Here is a student who reaps the benefits of hard work and determination,” Harshman said.

“Sidney is just burnin’! It’s no easy feat to keep up with this sax player. We just set her up, and get out of her way,” he said.

She is joined in her section by a “wiley” alto player named Oakley Haight, who Harshman said has great chops and is always pushing Sidney, as he should, while Aren Mattens on baritone sax expertly lays down the section’s foundation. Rounding everything out is Rudy Hamsa, who is finding his own cool style on clarinet and tenor, as are section players Patrick Shive, Heidi Klein and Isaac Hall.

“We are also fortunate to have a talented member of the 2008 Essentially Ellington Band rejoin us for the rest of her senior year, Lucy Vollbrecht,” Harshman added proudly.

Combine all that talent and determination, and Harshman said they are all looking at a satisfying and successful year of contests, festivals and concerts for the South Whidbey community.

Sweetheart’s Ball tickets cost $10 ($5 for students) and can be purchased from jazz band members, or by calling Heather Klein at 331-5045 or e-mail her at islenest@whidbey.com.