About the Southeast Jazz Program

Lincoln Southeast High School Jazz Ensembles

Southeast High School has four jazz ensembles – Jazz Ensemble I is chosen through auditions, Jazz Ensembles II and III are open to anyone interested in learning about playing jazz, and the Jazz Combo is made up of Jazz I students interested in a combo experience.  Each year the ensembles perform four formal concerts, attend two to three jazz festivals, and perform in the community. This year the Jazz Ensemble I will be attending the Omaha University Jazz Festival in February and all three big bands will attend the UNC-Greeley Jazz Festival in April.

LSE Jazz Ensemble I 2019-2020

 

Current members of LSE Jazz I are:

Saxophones – Colton Harris, Tyler Velgersdyk, Kyle Jordan, Matea Jerkovic, Chris Colton

Trumpets – Grant Mackenzie, Jack Clark, Sophie Thompson, Dawson Dynek

Trombones – Wolfgang Sturm, Dakota Brackhan, Talley Wills, Cameron Grabenstein

Piano – August Gower

Guitar – Jesse Little

Bass – Jonah Rail

Drums – Kendrick Roach

The Southeast High School Jazz Ensemble I is one of four performing jazz ensembles at Southeast High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. Jazz Ensemble I is selected each year through auditions and rehearses every school day. Jazz Ensembles II and III are open to anyone interested in learning about jazz, and the Jazz Combo is comprised of Jazz I students interested in a combo experience. The focus of all ensembles is to gain experience playing a wide variety of big band jazz and to develop improvisational skills. Jazz Ensemble I presents four formal concerts each year, attends the Omaha University and UNC-Greeley Jazz Festivals, records a CD of compositions performed during the year, and performs in the Lincoln community as requested. The band has also been selected to perform at state music conventions in 1994, 1999 and 2008, and for the 2008 NSBA convention commissioned and performed the world premier of “Southeast Six Step”, a new composition written for the band by noted jazz composer Eric Richards.

JazzJPEG

Southeast Jazz Ensemble I performing at the 1999 Jazz at Lincoln Center
Essentially Ellington Competition – Avery Fisher Hall, New York City

In the spring of 1999, the Southeast Jazz Ensemble I was selected as one of 20 finalist bands from tapes sent in from over 150 bands from 38 states in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Competition. Highlights of their participation in this festival included the chance to work with and be adjudicated by musicians like Slide Hampton, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Paquito d’Rivera and Wynton Marsalis, as well as the opportunity to perform at Avery Fisher Hall in New York.

The band has worked with a number of well-known guest artists/clinicians, including Slide Hampton, Randy Brecker, Carl Allen, Farid Barron, Stefon Harris, Willie Hill, Benny Powell, Steve Turre, Dan Gailey, Matt Wallace, Steve Houghton, Willie Thomas, Chris Merz, Eric Richards, Jon Faddis, Bill Watrous, Clay Jenkins, Ed Neumeister, Scott Whitfield, Greg Gisbert, Eli Yamin, Paul McKee, Sherman Irby, and others.

Many of the students have participated in the All-State Jazz Band, the NJO Young Lions Jazz Orchestra and the Monday Night Big Band. Several LSE Jazz Ensemble I students have been named winners of the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra Young Artist Award and were featured in concert with the NJO. These students include 1997 winner Broc Hempel (piano), 1998 winner Chris Steinke (alto sax), 2002 winner Alex Levitov (tenor sax), 2003 winner Tommy van den Berg (trombone), 2006 winner Paul Krueger (trumpet), and 2010 winner Tommy Krueger (trumpet). Some notable alumni of the LSE Jazz Ensemble I include:

  • James Valentine – Professional musician, member of Grammy Award winning group Maroon 5
  • Ryland Steen – Professional musician touring nationally with the bands Reel Big Fish and America
  • Dr. Chris Ellenwood – Professor of Clarinet, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
  • Dr. Christy Banks – Professor of Clarinet and Woodwinds, Millersville University
  • Scott Rademacher – McDonald’s All-American Jazz Band member, professional musician and recording artist, Jacksonville, FL
  • Chris Niermann – Professional musician, Santa Fe, NM
  • Corey Biggerstaff – Professional musician, Chicago, IL
  • Broc Hempel – Professional musician, New York, NY
  • Drew Steen – Professional musician, Los Angeles, CA
  • David Rosser – Professional musician, Los Angeles, CA
  • Graham Lyons – Professional musician, touring nationally with country artist Trea Landon, Nashville TN
  • Chris Steinke – 2000 IAJE Clifford Brown/Stan Getz fellowship winner
  • Paul Krueger – Two time Downbeat Award winner, winner of multiple ASCAP awards for Jazz Composition, Instructor in Jazz Studies at the University of Oregon
  • Liz Love – 2007 Disney All-American Band, Director of Bands at Grisham Middle School in Austin Texas (selected to perform at 2019 Midwest Clinic in Chicago)
  • Tommy Krueger – Downbeat Award winner, Director of Bands at Omaha Westside High School
  • Chis Morse – Member, NAfME All-National Honor Jazz Ensemble               

Former students have also played in jazz and concert ensembles at the Eastman School of Music, Stanford University, University of North Texas, Harvard University, University of North Florida, University of Northern Colorado-Greeley, William Paterson University, DePaul University, Iowa State University, Kansas University, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Peabody Institute, Florida State University, University of Miami, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska, and others.

2016 Southeast Jazz Ensemble I with alumnus James Valentine (Maroon 5)