The Future of Jazz is Bright

By the time the Middle School Jazz Band hit its stride at the Shadow and Swing performance on the evening of June 3, parents were leaning forward at their tables, phones raised to capture video, and the Senior School musicians waiting on the side benches had momentarily forgotten their own upcoming sets, nodding along to the groove. The annual coffee-house jazz night at St. Michaels University School, held in the SMUS Chapel, drew students, parents and staff together for an evening of Middle and Senior School performances.

The Middle School Jazz Band opened the evening under the direction of David Enns, and what followed was a confident, joyful set that silenced any assumptions about what younger musicians can do. The band moved through a program of jazz standards, from Herbie Hancock classics like "Watermelon Man" and "Cantaloupe Island" to Chick Corea's "Sea Journey", which lent the room an unmistakable 1960s atmosphere, all warmth and wandering melody.

For many in the audience, the songs were old favourites. For the students playing them, they were something newly discovered and made their own. Soloists stepped forward throughout the set, growing bolder with each turn, and the audience was with them every step of the way. At the end of the set, Enns expressed that he was grateful to work with such exceptional young musicians, noting that he could call on Jade L. on piano to handle anything thrown her way. He closed his remarks beaming, crediting every section and every soloist before landing on a line that drew murmurs of agreement from the room: "The future of jazz is bright."

Senior School Builds on the Beat

The Senior School took the stage next, led by Ian Farish '89, Senior School Band Teacher and Head of Music, and the three ensembles that followed had clearly spent the year building toward something. The Jazz Combo, made up of Kathryn Chen '29 on percussion, Luka Pittman '26 on saxophone, Jordan Martin '26 on stand-up bass and Michael Carpiano '27 on piano, opened with a set that would have held its own in any jazz club. The group came together on their own initiative, and that self-directed energy was audible in every bar. Earlier this spring, the combo travelled to the West Coast Jazz Festival in Nanaimo as part of a 12-hour day of competition and workshops, earning gold alongside the Senior Jazz Band and R&B Band.

The R&B Band performed in fine form despite the absence of vocalist Georgia James '26, with Kayler Kim '26 stepping to the mic for the opening number and making it hers. Her rendition of "Where is my Husband," the current Raye hit that Farish had acquired the chart for specifically, drew the first big reaction of the Senior School set. Three vocalists shared the spotlight across the set, trading lead and backup with easy chemistry, while the horn section hit every mark together, their collective sound resonant and assured. The trombonists, packed in tightly with the rest of the band, extended their slides between the heads of the row in front of them with millimetres to spare, and nobody flinched.

The Senior School Jazz Band closed the evening with every section locked in and every note placed with care. Michael Carpiano '27 captured the spirit of the night at the piano, leaning into the keys with feeling, barely glancing at his music, occasionally breaking into a smile that said he was exactly where he wanted to be. Kathryn Chen '29, it bears mentioning, had been on drums for the entire Senior School set across all three ensembles, a remarkable run for a Grade 9 student. Luka Pittman '26 was a constant presence throughout the Senior sets, drawing some of the biggest reactions of the night with an improvisational instinct and raw power that sounded well beyond his years.

Farish closed the night with thanks to Enns, acknowledging the work that goes into bringing students through the Middle School program and into Senior School ready to play at this level. It was a generous and sincere moment between two teachers who clearly take pride in what they have built together.

Outside, it had rained while the music played. The air had that rich, earthy smell that only comes after a dry spell breaks, and a fading light sat low over the campus as the crowd filtered out, more than a few of them still humming.