Jazz band hits the right notes at Southern Jam

Early morning practices have paid off for the combined Nelson College and Nelson College for Girls Jazz Band.

The 14-member group picked up gold at the Southern Jam Youth Jazz Festival with two members also picking up individual awards.

“We’ve been practicing every Tuesday morning at 7.45 since the beginning of the year,” says band director and head of music at Nelson College for Girls, Brad Banks.

The week-long festival included 22 bands and took place earlier this month in Blenheim, concluding with a gala concert on 10 August. Workshops, masterclasses, and even concerts at primary schools and pubs were all part of the experience for the Nelson students, and they were judged on five pieces.

“I think playing in the pubs was my favourite,” member Jessica Playford says.

“Everyone’s there because they like jazz, and everyone’s really enjoying your stuff. You get such a good reaction, so you play better.”

It has been around a decade since either school has played at the festival, and as well as picking up gold, Nelson College students Ned Rainey and JP Moynihan won trophies.

Ned won the award for ‘Most Outstanding Big Band Drummer’ while JP picked up the ‘Kevin Moseley Award for Most Outstanding Trumpet Player’.

Keven Mosely just so happens to be JP’s grandad, which made the award even more special.

“They picked up the award and said my grandad’s name and it turned out the best trumpet player award was from my grandad… he had a few joyous tears over that,” JP says.

Ned and JP also got to join an ‘All Stars’ band with other top players, who played at the gala concert.

Brad, along with the teacher in charge of music at Nelson College, Nathan Munn, says that the music programmes at both schools continue to go from “strength to strength”.

“[The awards] speak to the quality of the musicians in the schools, we have some incredible talent,” Nathan says.

With many of the band members being in their final year of college, they are now encouraging other students to pick up an instrument.

“The best thing you can do is learn an instrument,” says member Sylvia Reith.

“You learn more than just an instrument; you learn how to be dedicated… it’s a whole different way of thinking. And school is so much better when you play an instrument because you get to go away for fun things like this.”

JP agrees that “jazz is awesome”.

“But I’m a little bit jazzed out; I’m not going to lie.”

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