Battle of the bands

Thanks to my subject line, now I have a mental image of a crazed musician clocking someone with a Sousaphone. Apparently I have been watching too much CSI.

But I digress (from the subject that I never started talking about in the first place). What I meant to write about was the immense amount of jazz talent that has been coming out of local high schools for years. It's a thrill to see a kid get up and really wail on a horn or set fire to the drums.

When I was in high school I used to love to watch my brother play trombone with the M-A jazz band. Band director Frank Moura fostered an atmosphere of musical maturity that was truly remarkable. It takes confidence to be comfortable in a style of music where your part isn't written out note-for-note on the page, especially when you're a teenager trying to find your way in life. I always thought my brother seemed older than he was every time he stood up for a solo.

This Saturday, one of our local bands is hitting the Monterey Jazz Festival: Musicians from Gunn High School are set to take the stage in the Big Band division of the organization's Next Generation Festival, competing in the finals. The victorious band gets to play at the big Monterey festival in September.

"Only 12 jazz ensembles were selected from the nationwide audition pool, so it's quite an honor to participate," band director Mark Dungan said, noting that Gunn has participated in the event regularly for about the last two decades.

Gunn's musicians will be playing "swing music and Latin-style music in the tradition of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie," he said. Mighty fine company to be in.