Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble 1

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts Jazz Ensemble 1

The jazz program within the band area at the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts has had a storied legacy since its inception in 1984. Celebrating “America’s music” to its fullest extent, two jazz ensembles serve as the primary performing groups. With a scope of study that represents one hundred years of the evolution of jazz, repertoire includes the music of Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Stan Kenton through more recent big band contemporaries like Maria Schneider, Dave Holland, Roy Hargrove, and Christian McBride. Ensemble precision, stylistic integrity, and improvisational concepts are the focal points of instruction.

The flagship of the Douglas Anderson jazz program is Jazz Ensemble 1. Long recognized as one of the leading high school jazz bands in the country, JE 1 has had the honor of performing at many esteemed festivals and events. The band most recently performed at the 2017 Jazz Educators Network (JEN) conference in New Orleans, won the 2017 national Swing Central jazz band competition in Savannah, and has been recognized by DownBeat Magazine for Outstanding Performance placement in their 2017 & 2018 Student Music Awards. Receiving superior ratings at music performance assessments continues to be a mainstay for both Douglas Anderson jazz ensembles along with having students selected to the Florida All-State Jazz Band.