‘All That Jazz’

Snapping fingers, tapping toes, clapping hands on “2” and “4” – 36 students from 12 high schools across Europe kept that back-beat for a week of “All That Jazz.”

They were here to learn and play the music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie at the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe Jazz Seminar 2010, held Jan. 11 to 15 at Kaiserslautern High School.

For the past 27 years, DODDS-E students have lugged brass, keyboards, drums and guitars and gathered at one place for a chance to learn from jazz trombonist Jiggs Whigham, currently the conductor of the BBC Big Band in Great Britain and artistic director of the Berlin Jazz Orchestra.

“Give me some attitude,” Mr. Whigham called out to the rhythm section on the first day.

Mr. Whigham, who has played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, aimed at encouraging the young musicians to put forth positive energy into their music and to show them where the time or beat is.

“Trying to get the beat – ‘1, 2, ah 1, 2, 3, 4’ – snapping at the ‘2’ and ‘4,’” he said, while tapping his foot. “It’s like the ‘1’ is the father and the mother is the ‘2’ so it’s dad, mom, dad, mom. It’s a balance just like light and dark.”

Each year, the seminar concentrates on the music of a jazz legend, said Wayne Fears, the KHS music teacher who is hosting the event at the school. This year, students were learning about American Jazz Big Band Leader Woody Herman.

“It’s just to have a focus for a certain type of music style, but we still want to be able to do a few other things too,” Mr. Whigham said.

Besides doing the big band work with Mr. Whigham, the young musicians were paired off with DODDS music teachers and members of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band for specialized training with their instruments.

“You are getting a year of college education – about $10,000 worth – right here in a week,” said Mr. Whigham, right before the big band launched into Woody Herman’s “Woodchopper’s Ball.”

Students sang until lips and voices were sore, blew horns, banged drums, plucked guitars and crushed on the piano for eight hours straight for the first three days. The last two days were filled with performing three concerts, back to back.

Ramstein High School junior Jimmy Crutchfield, 16, who has attended the seminar three times in previous years, said the experience was well worth it.

“I have learned so much about how to improve my playing,” said Jimmy, who added that after his first seminar he wanted to listen to and find out as much as he could about legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. “When you are playing a solo, a lot of times what you are listening to influences your playing.”

All of them – singers and musicians – auditioned for the chance to spend five days and nights blowing their horns and learning the value of hard work.

Competition to get into the seminar was stiff – 118 students sent their audition recordings to Wiesbaden, where DODDS-E music professionals made the selection.

“Our goal is to make great music and work with other people who have a similar interest,” Mr. Fears said.

“Rare” and “unique” were the words Jeff Pellaton, Ramstein band director and project officer this year, used to describe the DODDS-E Jazz Seminar.

“It is rare,” Mr. Pellaton said, “for 36 students to get together in a week with one of the greatest professionals on the face of the earth to the betterment of America’s truest art form, which is Jazz music.”