2006 Awards

AJA bands and musicians win top Fullerton Jazz Festival awards

Arizona Jazz Academy bands took nine ensemble and 45 individual awards at the 34th Annual Fullerton Jazz Festival in Fullerton College on March 31 and April 1.

The festival was attended by over 370 jazz ensembles from throughout the Western United States and is the largest and most competitive jazz festival in the Western United States. This was the fourth year the Arizona Jazz Academy attended the festival run by Fullerton College and supervised by many of the top professional jazz musicians and educators from the Los Angeles area. The AJA ensembles and musicians in unprecedented fashion won more awards by far than any other school in attendance.

The following Jazz Academy bands won top awards from the International Association of Jazz Educators:

• The Ellington Band: 1st Place "Heavy Band" (This is the festival's top honor for the most advanced high school band)
• The Basie Band: 1st Place Intermediate "A" High School Band
• The Woody Herman Band: 1st Place Novice High School Band
• The Kenton Band: 1st Place Advanced Middle School Band
• The Chick Webb Band: 2nd Place Middle School Novice Band
• The John Coltrane Band: 4th Place Middle School Band
• The Moynihan Combo: 1st Place Advanced High School Combo
• The Raven Combo:1st Place Intermediate High School Combo
• The Burton Williams Group: 2nd Place Intermediate High School Combo

The following Jazz Academy students won top individual awards the International Association of Jazz Educators:

• Mike Moynihan, 1st Place Jazz Soloist, and an International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Ensemble Soloist Award
• Teddy Raven, 2nd Place Jazz Soloist, and an International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Ensemble Soloist Award
• James Williams, 3rd Place Jazz Soloist, and an International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Ensemble Soloist Award
• Arthur Vint, 4th Place Jazz Soloist, and an International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Ensemble Soloist Award
• Andrew Halchak, 5th Place Jazz Soloist, and an International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Ensemble Soloist Award
• Mick Burton, 6th Place Jazz Soloist, and an International Association of Jazz Educators Outstanding Ensemble Soloist Award
• Paul Boettcher, 7th Place Jazz Soloist and Outstanding Alto Sax
• Vincent Sanchez Gomez, Outstanding Jazz Pianist
• Andrew Davenport, Outstanding Jazz Bassist
• Kevin Davenport, Outstanding High school Rhythm Section
• Tim Gelety, Outstanding High School Rhythm Section
• Hannah Hollins, Outstanding High School Rhythm Section
• Andrew Davenport, Outstanding High School Rhythm Section
• Alex Weitz, Outstanding Tenor Sax Soloist
• James Williams, Outstanding High School Trumpet Solo
• Sean McEvoy, Outstanding Bass
• Alice Whiteside, Outstanding High School Clarinet
• Chris Kennedy, Outstanding Jazz Trombonist
• James Williams, Outstanding Jazz Trombonist and Jazz Trumpet
• Anthony Jimenez, Outstanding Jazz Trumpet
• Michael Parrot, Outstanding Jazz Trombonist
• Andy Whiteside, Outstanding Jazz Trumpet
• Scotty Beach, Outstanding Alto Sax
• Doug Foulk, Outstanding Trombonist
• Maureen Hayden, Outstanding Middle School Trombone
• Chad Grossman, Outstanding Middle School Tenor Sax
• Ramona Raskob, Outstanding Middle School Alto Sax
• Tyler Gabb, Outstanding Middle School Bari Sax
• Tony Zaragoza, Outstanding Middle School Trombone
• Bryan Walker, Outstanding Middle School Saxaphone
• Arthuer Vint, Outstanding Heavy Band Rhythm Section
• Sean McEvoy, Outstanding Heavy Band Rhythm Section
• Vincent Sanchez Gomez, Outstanding Heavy Band Rhythm Section
• Jacob Lauxman, Outstanding Heavy Band Rhythm Section
• Leah Bolton, Outstanding Middle School Rhythm Section
• Garreth Price, Outstanding Middle School Rhythm Section
• Alex Koralewski, Outstanding Middle School Rhythm Section
• Svetlana Temyanko, Outstanding Middle School Rhythm Section
• Dylan Ridge, Outstanding Middle School Trumpet
• David Scordato, Outstanding Middle School Clarinet
• Svetlana Temyanko, Outstanding Middle School Piano
• Michaeal Reyes, Outstanding Middle School Trumpet

The Arizona Jazz Academy serves the music students and music programs of greater Tucson, Pima and Santa Cruz Counties. It is open to all youth who are part of a school music program and youth who have no school music programs in thier schools. The AJA currently is home to 18 youth bands, a professional adult band, a "Jazz in the Schools" program, an internet jazz radio station, a professional recording studio and a music technology program. The Arizona Jazz Academy (222 East 5th Street, Tucson) is considered one of the premiere supplemental jazz education programs in the United States.

For more information about the festival,awards or the Arizona Jazz Academy, please contact: Tammy Hall, AJA Board President or Rodney Burton, AJA Board Vice-President at 520-250-7256 or 520-577-9094.

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Saturday, February 11, 2006

All of the groups performed admirably and are winners in our eyes.

Coincidently all of the top 4 bands are stacked with Jazz Academy students. We would like to think that the AJA has had at least a small part in contributing to the musicianship and musical qualities that were so apparent in each of these great bands.

We are also happy the judges recognize quality when they hear and see it.

Doug Tidaback, Director
Arizona School of Music
Arizona Jazz Academy
Arizona Jazz Radio
Southwest School of Music Technology
520-792-0160
520-250-7256