Jazz @ The Royal Room

inside lakeside

Liz C. ’24 leans into a lush solo on Maria Schneider’s “Prairie Dance.” The show in Columbia City was the Lakeside jazz band’s first off-campus performance in more than two years.

LIVE at the Royal Room

ON MARCH 2 — two years to the day after its last public appearance at Benaroya Hall had been canceled amidst the emerging pandemic — the Lakeside School Jazz Band performed again in front of a live audience. Playing to a full house at the Royal Room in Columbia City, one of Seattle’s iconic jazz venues, the band performed a set of new tunes and old favorites, featuring compositions by Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Maria Schneider, and Charles Mingus.

“Performance is the centerpiece of what we’re trying to do,” said jazz band teacher Eric Patterson. “We want to create a beautiful experience for people in the room, in the moment. You can’t replicate that in a classroom. It’s a completely different energy that is so important for the development of musicians — and for appreciating what art means in our community.” Alto sax player Liz C. ’24, one of the evening’s soloists, said, “There’s a quote I like that says, ‘You don’t rise to the occasion; you fall to the level of your preparation.’ We were a little nervous, but Mr. Patterson prepared us really well. We were ready for the Royal Room.”

Watch a six-minute video featuring the jazz band performance and reflections on the value and joy of live music: bit.ly/LakesideJazz