Dillard jazz ensemble finishes No. 2 in Essentially Ellington competition of best high-school bands

By BEN CRANDELL

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL |

MAY 13, 2019 | 4:39 PM

The Dillard Center for the Arts Jazz Ensemble finished in second place at the 2019 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, the 24th annual showdown among the nation’s best high-school jazz bands, which took place this weekend at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.

It was the ninth time in the past 10 years at Essentially Ellington that the DCA ensemble made the top three bands named to compete in the festival’s final round of concerts, the most of any school during that period.

Roosevelt High School in Seattle, like Dillard a three-time winner at Essentially Ellington going into the final round, finished first. Third place went to Foxboro High School in Foxboro, Mass.

Before the festival began, DCA pianist Miles Lennox was named the winner of Essentially Ellington’s prestigious student composition and arranging contest, an award that came with a $1,000 cash prize and a performance of his music by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

In awards revealed Saturday night, after deliberations among a panel of judges led by jazz icon Wynton Marsalis, several other DCA performers were cited for group and individual excellence.

In the section awards, Dillard was among those cited as outstanding rhythm section, outstanding trumpet section and outstanding trombone section.

Lennox was among the musicians named in the outstanding piano category, with other Dillard winners including Summer Camargo (outstanding trumpet), Charles Blagrove (outstanding trombone), Victor Lawton (outstanding clarinet).

Honorable mentions went to Aviel Delrosario (bass), Joel Anderson (drums), Liam Vargas (alto saxophone) and Keon Gooding (trumpet).

For more information on the band, visit Facebook.com/DillardCenterForTheArts.