DuPage youth jazz ensemble to compete at Lincoln Center in New York

Chicago Tribune

25-04-2025

The Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage will participate in the 2025 Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival for high school bands, May 7-11, at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.
This is the fourth time that the ensemble has been chosen for this highly competitive event.
Typically 15 bands are chosen from across the country, but this year, in celebration of the 30th anniversary, 30 bands were selected including three from Australia, Japan and Spain.
'In our third year, in 2001, we went to the Essentially Ellington Festival,' said Director Robert Blazek, who founded the ensemble. The group came in fourth out of the 15 competing bands.
They were also selected for the festival in 2008 and 2024.
There are 25 regular performers in the ensemble and four alternates representing 12 high schools in DuPage County. They are chosen by audition.
In order to become one of the 15 finalists in the Essentially Ellington competition, the bands have to record three pieces from the Essentially Ellington library.
'One piece has to be from a new release this year,' Blazek said.
The Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage submitted recordings of Duke Ellington's 'What am I Here for?' which is the new selection, 'Movin' Uptown' by Benny Carter, and 'Happy Go Lucky Locol' by Ellington.
Blazek cited the benefits the young musicians get from performing in the festival.
'Yes, it's a competition, but the support that all the kids get from one another is astronomical,' he said. 'When you're on stage and you do a great solo, the other students are all going crazy for you. And they network with each other.'
During the festival, Blazek said they will switch out 'What am I Here for?' and replace it with Ellington's 'The Opener.'
Drummer Ryan Weaver, 18, a senior at Oswego High School, participated in last year's festival and said he is looking forward to his second time.
'I started on classical percussion when I was around 6, but I was also taking drum set lessons at 6,' Weaver said. 'I'm mainly sticking to my jazz drum set now.'
He said he joined the Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage because he knew it was made up of all-star musicians.
'I wanted to be immersed in that community so that I could be with other musicians who were better than me so I could become better,' he said.
Weaver called the chance to perform 'a surreal experience.' He also praised the opportunity to connect with musicians from across the country who share his passion for music, and said he remains in touch of some of them.
Weaver said this year he is interested in connecting with musicians from Australia, Japan, and Spain.
'Music is the universal language,' he said, noting he looks forward to 'being able to communicate with each other through the music.'
Weaver plans to pursue jazz studies in college but hasn't yet confirmed what school he will attend.
While Blazek's group is in New York, they will have time to see a production of the musical 'Hadestown' and visit two jazz clubs, Birdland and Dizzy's Club.
The celebration in honor of the band's acceptance at Essentially Ellington will start early with a sendoff concert, featuring guest saxophonist John Wojciechowski, at 4 p.m. on May 4 at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, 10805 Main St., Huntley.
'John's a great saxophonist, he's a high school band director and he does a lot of outside playing at jazz clubs around the city,' Blazek said. 'I think he's going to bring a neat perspective.'
'They could have asked a lot of different musicians to come and be a part of that concert,' Wojciechowski said. 'I'm honored that Rob invited me to come and do that.'
Wojciechowski praised the Youth Jazz Ensemble of DuPage.
'They're an outstanding group. We're talking about some of the best young musicians in the western suburbs,' he said. 'The fact that they were invited to go to New York to participate in their Ellington Festival speaks volumes because a lot of bands try to do that and very few get invited.'
At the sendoff concert, Wojciechowski will join the band in performing Bill Holman's arrangement of 'Out of Nowhere,' John Coltrane's 'Central Park West,' and an arrangement of Stevie Wonder's 'Overjoyed.'
For more information, go to yjed.org.