It is not a club that many people have heard much about. It doesn’t have the fame of the Dirty Birds nor the infamy of the Key Club, but those who are members would not give it up for the world. If you attended the talent show you may have seen them as they ended the performances with a bang. These are the interviews of two of the freshmen members of the AMHS Jazz Band, Molly Janech and Macie Correia:

Question 1: When did you first become interested in music? Specifically jazz?

Molly: I first became interested in playing music when I joined band in 6th grade, but I have always loved singing. I joined jazz band because there isn’t a regular band, and it is a smaller group which is nice.

Macie: I’ve always been interested in music, but my first introduction to jazz was 7th grade playing in my middle school’s jazz band.

Question 2: What instrument(s) do you play? How long have you played them?

Molly: I play Alto saxophone and I have been playing for 4 years. I could probably play other types of saxophones, but I haven’t made the switch yet.

Macie: I’ve played the bass trombone for 1 year, but I’m currently playing the tenor trombone for my 3rd year. 

Question 3: How did you learn of our jazz band and why did you join?

Molly: I learned of jazz band because I had a friend who ate lunch in Mr. Grimshaw’s room where they play, and I immediately fell in love with the idea of playing my saxophone again, especially with seniors because it makes me feel cool.

Macie: I originally wasn’t going to join jazz band, but I heard them playing “Sir Duke” at the club fair and decided to do it anyway.

Question 4: What is your favorite song to play? To listen to?

Molly: My favorite song to play is Sister Sadie because it is challenging but super fun. My favorite song to listen to is probably Cold Duck Time because it just sounds so good with everyone playing it.

Macie: My favorite song that we play is definitely “Cold Duck Time” by Eddie Harris, but “Sister Sadie” by Horace Silver is an amazing song to listen to (Horace Silver is absolutely top 5 jazz musicians).

Question 5: How do you balance practice of your instrument with school work?

Molly: I prioritize my school work when it starts affecting my grades, and because of this, I have lots of time left to practice.

Question 6: How do you hope to pursue music in the future?

Molly: I hope to continue playing my instrument, as well as learn new instruments to further my understanding and appreciation for music.

Question 7: What is one skill you hope to gain or improve on with your instrument?

Molly: I hope to start learning Tenor or Bass sax to expand my range of Saxophones.

Macie: This year I’ve really been working on building up the technical skills I lost over the summer, and then quickly forgetting them to embrace the style of jazz music. Along with that, building up my range to accommodate the multiple scales in our scores has been a series of challenges and successes this year.

Question 8: Anything else you want to share?

Molly: Jazz band is awesome and more people should come to Mr. Grimshaw’s room on Wednesday and Friday during lunch to enjoy some jazz music with us.

Macie: If I’m being perfectly honest, I wasn’t super into jazz music when I first started listening, mostly because I was listening to blues and smooth jazz. While these are both lovely genres and have some amazing songs and artists in them, they aren’t necessarily my favorite. I would recommend anyone who wants to start listening to jazz to branch out and research more. By listening to more jazz, I found one of my favorite songs, and led to my introduction to the love of soul and funk music as well! That being said, one of my favorite jazz songs OF ALL TIME is Supercapatalism by Wynton Marsalis.