At the historic Infinity Music Hall in Norfolk on Sunday March 25, the high school jazz band performed at the 2018 Southern New England High School Jazz Festival. Their set list included several songs including “Strike of the Band,” “Chicken,” “Jump Drive and Wail,” “September,” and “Crunchy Frog.” This was the second time the jazz band participated in the festival.

Tickets were sold for 10 and 20 dollars, and the event raised 350 dollars for the band to purchase items like instruments and clothing.

The jazz band plays a variety of contemporary music including funk and rock in addition to jazz. According to junior Praise Adekola, the unique music played by the jazz band partly motivated her to join the group.

“Aside from the fact that Mr. Johnston, saw potential in my playing, and motivated me to join, I joined jazz band, because I wanted to experience music out of the normal ‘school band’ realm. Jazz band, to me, was an interesting experiment that I’m glad I did,” Adekola said.

To prepare for the jazz festival, student musicians practiced together every Thursday. They also rehearsed the music on their own time.

“Being in jazz band is just kind of special because it is on a Thursday night, and there is a lot of closeness within the group. And, there is no other group in the school that is anything like that,” band director Thomas Johnston said.

Built in 1883, Infinity Music Hall has seen numerous performers grace its stage. For years, it served as a venue for events like lectures, town meetings, and Vaudeville shows. In 2007, local entrepreneur Dan Hincks converted the building into a modern music hall and bistro.

“My favorite memory of the jazz fest would probably be when we walked up the stairs to the stage and saw the wall which was full of signatures all the way up of people who had previously played there,” freshman Isabella Suffredini who plays the trumpet said.

Suffredini believes the band performed well at the festival.

“I am very proud of how everyone performed. Everyone did an amazing job and played the best that they could,” Suffredini said.