Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Jazz Institute
Milwaukee Jazz Institute's “A” Train ensemble
Milwaukee Jazz Institute's “A” Train ensemble featuring (left to right) Samuel Caiola, Thomas Renz, Emmet Fettig and Adrian McCants
For the second year running, the Milwaukee Jazz Institute will send a student combo to New York when the Institute’s “A” Train Ensemble performs at the Charles Mingus Festival. The MJI’s high-school age combo was chosen to take part in the competitive annual event honoring the legacy of the late jazz composer and bassist.
Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Jazz Institute
Milwaukee Jazz Institute's “A” Train ensemble
Milwaukee Jazz Institute's “A” Train ensemble featuring (left to right) Thomas Renz, Samuel Caiola, Emmet Fettig and Adrian McCants
“The ‘A’ Train Ensemble is one of only three finalists nationwide in the Combo Category—Specialized Schools and Programs. In total, only 12 high school ensembles from across the country were selected to perform, representing some of the top youth jazz groups in the nation,” says Mark Davis, MJI’s artistic director and founder.
The “A" Train Ensemble is just one component of MJI’s expansive effort to raise the profile and accessibility of jazz in Milwaukee. Currently, MJI organizes five youth ensembles and four adult ensembles with an extensive series of jams and workshops at the Jazz Gallery along with performance at venues as varied as Downtown’s Saint Kate, Riverwest’s bar centro and Brookfield’s Sharon Lynne Wilson Center.
The 18th Annual Charles Mingus Festival & High School Competition runs February 13–15 at the New School in New York City. “The festival features performances and workshops by members of the Mingus Big Band, all of whom are professional, internationally known jazz artists. The competition itself is specifically for high school ensembles,” Davis says.
The “A” Train’s lineup is unchanged from last year, and includes Samuel Caiola (piano, senior at Beloit Memorial High School), Emmet Fettig (alto saxophone, senior at Fort Atkinson High School), Adrian McCants (drums, junior at Milwaukee High School of the Arts) and Thomas Renz (bass, senior at Madison West High School). They will perform three Mingus compositions, “Self-Portrait in Three Colors,” “Peggy’s Blue Skylight” and a piece he wrote during the civil rights struggle of the late 1950s, “Fables of Faubus.”
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Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Jazz Institute
Milwaukee Jazz Institute's “A” Train ensemble in NYC
Milwaukee Jazz Institute's “A” Train ensemble featuring (left to right) Samuel Caiola, Thomas Renz, Emmet Fettig and Adrian McCants
“The trip to the Mingus Competition last year gave them the opportunity to hear, learn from, and perform with world-class jazz artists,” Davis continues. “Being selected as one of only three specialized school programs nationwide through a competitive recorded submission process is a huge honor that has inspired the students to keep practicing and learning. To have been selected two years in a row has been particularly motivating, and working toward the goal of competing in NYC at a national competition has driven them to perform at an even higher level.”
After returning to Milwaukee, the “A” Train Ensemble will perform on Saturday, Feb. 21 at bar centro, 804 E. Center St.
