Last month, senior Adam Brock (‘22) was one of twenty students from across Georgia to play in the Georgia Music Educators Association’s All-State Jazz Ensemble concert. He took part in the concert at the Classic Center in Athens on Saturday, January 29, after rehearsing with the ensemble the previous two days.

Brock endured two challenging rounds of auditions to become a part of the 2022 All-State Jazz Ensemble. Only five trumpet players are chosen for the ensemble from the state.

“Every fall it’s a two round process. The first round is for the county/district, and they have to do […] eight to ten jazz scales [and] two etudes. […] If they pass that first round, they go into a state round where they have to do only sight reading. There’s two excerpts of written-down sight reading and then two excerpts of improv sight reading. All they get is a couple notes and a back track and they just go,” said Chamblee band director Colleen Marin. “They take five trumpets out of the state, […] so it’s very elite.”

Brock, who has been playing the trumpet for the past seven-and-a-half years, was the only student from Chamblee High School and the only student from DeKalb County to play in the concert.

Athens, where Brock visited and performed, is home to the University of Georgia. With a lively performance scene and many bands emerging from the city throughout the decades, the city has a rich musical history. For example, The B-52s, R.E.M., and Widespread Panic all came to fame in Athens.

At Chamblee, Brock is a member of the concert band, jazz band, and marching band. He also participates in the DeKalb Youth Symphony. Brock described being slightly nervous before the concert.

“It was the closest to a professional concert I’ve ever had. It was the best group I’ve played in,” said Brock. “It’s almost like, I don’t want to be the one person who messes something up in the concert because everyone else is so good.”

The competitive and elite nature of playing in Athens at the Classic Center with the All-State Jazz Ensemble is quite different from most other high school musical endeavors.

“When I play with the Chamblee Jazz Band or the Chamblee Concert Band or DeKalb Youth Symphony or whatever, it’s very much a volunteer activity,” said Brock. “All-State Jazz, even more so than normal All-State (because it’s less people and it’s harder to get into) is very much people who’ve put a lot of time into it.”

The concert had a diverse set of jazz music, featuring the following compositions:

• Take the “A” Train (By Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington; Arranged by Don Schamber)

• When You’re Smiling (By Larry Shay, Mark Fisher, and Joe Goodwin; Arranged by Tom Kubis)

• Recorda Me (By Joe Henderson; Arranged by Eric Richards)

• Blackwing Blues (By Doug Beach)
• Rhyme (By David Springfield)
• It Might as Well Be Spring (By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; Arranged by Don Schamber)

Other student musicians are encouraged to audition for the All-State Jazz Ensemble if they are able to.

“More people should audition, I think there were eight other people in DeKalb County who auditioned for it,” said Brock. “It’s hard to get into, because if you play [baritone saxophone], there’s one spot. There’s one [baritone saxophone] player who’s going to get to play, and you will know the person who beat you out if you don’t get in. But […] it’s a very cool experience.”

Brock could be described as “jazzed” about the opportunity.

“It was awesome. It was so good. The conductor was awesome. The music was great. The people were crazy good. It was very fun,” said Brock.