Edison High hosted its 21st annual Jazz Festival on February 9, inviting twelve schools across the Northeast to perform for a night of music and jazz. Welcoming parents and students, Edison High’s Band Parent Organization (BPO); its directors, Mr. Derek Dillman, Mr. Marc Denicuolo, and Mr. Micheal O’Leary; and all jazz members set up the night for a musical experience worth watching. Between ensuring adequate rehearsal time before performances, preparing the stage and auditorium, and managing logistics, all three band directors brought the audience together for a night of entertainment. Brass sections, woodwind sections, vocalists, jazz infused solos, and an engaged audience lit up the auditorium.

In all, Edison invited twelve schools to the event, with eleven coming from within the state and one coming from Pennsylvania who; representatively, participated in a seven-hour show, running from 4:45 to 11:30 p.m. In order of performances, the bands at the festival were Edison High’s Jazz Band, J.P. Stevens’ Lab Band, Metuchen’s Jazz Ensemble, Bridgewater’s Monday Band, Ramsey’s Jazz Band, Passaic County Technical-Vocational Schools’ Jazz Band, West Orange’s Jazz Ensemble I, Council Rock North’s Jazz Band, Southern Regional’s Jazz Band, Scotch Plains Fanwood’s Moonglowers, J.P. Stevens’ Jazz Ensemble, and Edison High’s Jazz Ensemble.

Edison High’s Jazz Band set the stage with their performance at 4:45. As the night went on, vocalists performed and soloists took the stage to showcase their talents, where parents and students in the audience hummed along. Edison High’s Jazz Ensemble closed the night of continuous performances at 11:00pm before the awards ceremony. To judge the performances, score the bands, and provide feedback, two guest judges were invited. The two guest judges and Dillman are all part of the Philadelphia-based regional Gardyn Jazz Orchestra.

Ending the long day of performances, the judges determined that J.P. Stevens took home the overall best score and performance.

“I thought it went awesome,” said Vibhunav Janaki Ashok ‘27 when asked about his performance and the night. “Some parts of the night were rough, but overall, the festival was a major success.”

At the end of the night, all three band directors agreed that the show ran smoothly, with no delays or problems in moving band equipment around, shuffling rehearsal times, or managing the stage.

“I thought it went extremely well,” said Dillman. “We were pleased that it ran on time and that everything went smoothly.”

Parents and students in the audience enjoyed the show as well, saying that the show was on time, catchy to listen to, and most importantly, “jazzy.”

“I had a great time with my friends and I went home humming most of the charts,” said Alex Vasquez ‘27. “Being a freshman, it was my first time at a jazz show, and I loved the experience.”

Ending the long list of performances, the lights turned on, certificates and plaques were handed out, Edison High’s jazz students cleared the stage, and the curtains drew on Edison High’s 2024 Jazz Festival.