Time to Git Down: This Year’s Winter Jazz Concert

        This past Sunday, Lawrenceville’s student jazz groups—the Little Big Band and the 8 O’Clock Jazz Combo—performed in the Clark Music Center as part of the annual winter Jazz Ensemble Concert. The concert featured a variety of songs and compositions, from holiday classic “All I For Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey to the New Orleans-inspired tune “Git-Down Time” by Rick Hirsch. To prepare for the concert, members of both ensembles attended weekly morning rehearsals. 

        “We rehearse every Wednesday morning at 8:00…it really wakes you up,” commented clarinet player Clara Khabbaz ’26, a member of the 8 O’Clock Jazz Combo. 

        Khabbaz first started playing the clarinet when she was in third grade. Though her music career originally blossomed in orchestra, she switched over to jazz in middle school so she could have more playing time during performances. Despite the early morning rehearsals before class, Khabbaz genuinely enjoyed the preparation experience and getting to know other Lawrentians who are equally passionate about jazz. 

        “For me, the best part about playing in the ensemble was not only performing the music itself, but also discovering that so many people are interested in jazz and getting to know them through playing music together,” she elaborated. 

        Anna Bao ’27, who is part of both the Little Big Band and the 8 O’Clock Jazz Combo, echoed Khabbaz’s sentiments. “I loved playing with everyone…it’s just so fun outside of all your classes to get together and have fun making music with other students,” she said. 

        Bao has also been playing the euphonium—which resembles a smaller-sized tuba— since elementary school. She was first introduced to jazz by her brother, who played in his school band. In addition to having family ties to jazz, she also developed an interest simply by listening to the music in her free time and eventually decided to try her hand at playing a jazz instrument by joining her school’s band. After arriving on campus this fall, Bao decided to continue pursuing her passion by joining the two jazz bands. She enjoyed performing all of the pieces at the concert, though she did have one particular favorite. “My favorite was ‘Freddie Freeloader,’ because I played it in my old school [with] a different arrangement, so I enjoyed having the opportunity to perform it again,” Bao explained. 

        However, Bao encountered some setbacks during the preparation process. “Jazz music was a big adjustment [at Lawrenceville] compared to my old school, and I think a lot of other people can also agree that the music itself is really challenging],” she elaborated. 

        Prudence Dwyer ’26, who played the trombone as part of the Little Big Band, found herself drawn to jazz for a similar reason to Khabbaz. “In jazz performances, it feels like trombones actually play a more important role and really shine on stage,” she said. 

        Attendees of the concert spoke highly of the performance.“It was spectacular…I loved seeing my talented classmates perform, and I’ll definitely be attending the next concert,” Arya Sreedhar ’24 said. “It was so fun to see students that I live with and I teach in a completely new light…I’m always so impressed with my Stephenites,” Stephens Head of House Nicole Lantz added.