National Jazz Festival: Bay of Plenty musicians inspire at youth competition

Author: Emma Houpt,
Publish Date: Fri, 7 Apr 2023, 3:02pm

“Keep the music alive.”

That’s the message from Bay of Plenty teenager Jenny Urbahn who was one of the hundreds of students to play in the 45th National Youth Jazz Competition at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre.

The 17-year-old trumpet player, who attends John Paul College in Rotorua, wants to see “more young people getting into jazz music”.

John Paul College won best original composition and an award for innovation at Thursday’s competition, while Michael van Lieshout from Tauranga Boys’ College won the Mayers Music Centre Trophy for the best guitarist.

A record 600-plus students from 32 New Zealand secondary schools took part in the youth competition, which has been a prelude to the National Jazz Festival, from Tuesday to Thursday.

The festival, believed to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, runs until Monday, with more than 20 events organised. It is expected to draw around 20,000 people.

Trombonist Gabriel Larkin,17, playing at the youth competition. Photo / Alex Cairns

Jenny Urbahn and trombonist Gabriel Larkin - who both belong to John Paul College’s big band - spoke to NZME ahead of the competition.

“Jazz music is so unbelievably old. We need more people to get into [it] to teach the further generation — keep the music alive,” Urbahn said.

“I just really like it, I just want to do it all my life,” she said.

The teenager had been part of the school’s big band for the past seven years, saying the group was “like family”. In the lead-up to the competition, they had been practising about three times a week, she said.

Larkin said the competition had a “really cool atmosphere” because of the supportive energy among students.

The Year 13 student, who started playing the trombone aged 7, said it had taught him “commitment and patience”.

He was a “little bit” nervous about the performance but said each year playing on stage “gets easier”.

“We just get better and better,” he said.

National Youth Jazz Competition manager Liam Ryan and National Jazz Festival manager Marc Anderson. Photo / Emma Houpt

National Youth Jazz Competition manager Liam Ryan said the National Youth Jazz Competition featured the most competitors in its 45-year history.

“We had a record number of 600 registrations from 32 secondary schools as far and wide as Wellington to Kaitaia.

“The Competition continues to grow which speaks volumes about the amount of jazz being played in secondary schools.”

Ryan said this year’s competition showcased the best of youth jazz in the country.

“The standard of performances is incredibly high, with jazz now embedded into the New Zealand school music curriculum. The students blew us away again this year with their musicality, their enthusiasm, and their energy.”

Ryan said the three-day event included a mix of “high energy and moments of calm where you have to focus on the music”.

“More than anything it’s inspirational. Kids come in and they really have put so much work into these performances. It’s a really exciting thing to be part of.”

It was a “privilege” to watch young musicians at the start of their journey, Ryan said. Some would go on to become professional musicians or teach the subject in school.

“We know there is a lifelong journey ahead of them, and it’s just exciting to see them at the start point.

“It’s an intergenerational experience.”

Judges’ Dr Rodger Fox, Dr Dave Wilson from Victoria University of Wellington (NZSM), Gwyn Reynolds from ARA Christchurch, and Ben Wilcock from Toi Ohomai were impressed by the standard of excellence of performance from the young musicians.

Head judge Rodger Fox felt the standard of combos and big bands was improving year to year, in large part due to the schools returning to the competition and building on their performances each time.

“It’s very encouraging to see the competition continuing to grow; it shows it is valued by the schools,” he said.

“The bands are very receptive to feedback, and this is showing in the band performances. It’s great to see students really working on improvisational playing.”

New Zealand singer Hollie Smith and saxophonist Nathan Haines were just some of the musicians involved in past years who had “gone on to do great things”.

Ryan, a former member of 1980s band The Narcs, said students had travelled “far and wide” to take part.

On Wednesday a group from Kataia College drove for about nine hours and soon after put on a “fantastic” show, he said.

Afterwards, the Tauranga Boys’ College combo “stunned everybody with how good they were”.

“They laid down an amazing performance… It was jaw-dropping.”

Ryan also reflected on an “amazing” performance from the Rotorua Boys’ High School combo, saying the singer “really captured people”.

“He had people almost in tears with the way he was singing.

“It is moving. There are all sorts of moments that take you by surprise.”

In Ryan’s view, the event was “more of a celebration than a competition” and he hoped it would continue to grow for another 45 years.

“It’s an endless journey for us,” he said.

A statement from Tauranga City Council said the first National Youth Jazz Competition was held in 1978 attracting young musicians from Wellington, Tauranga and Dargaville.

Haines, who said the festival played an important role in his life, went to his first competition when he was 13 in 1985.

“It was a cool vibe, a cool hang, it was like another world,” Haines said.

Trombonist Dr Rodger Fox is judging this year's National Youth Jazz Competition. Photo / File

Trombonist Dr Rodger Fox, a longstanding judge of the completion, said witnessing this year’s performances had been “heartening”.

Fox said jazz music was a “growing art form” among young people and this was reflected in the quality of performances and number of students taking part.

“The level is high and there is always somebody who pops out of the woodwork who you haven’t seen before, and you think ‘fantastic’.”

“The whole thing just keeps moving in an upwards direction.”

The competition fostered a “supportive network” between the hundreds of students who had travelled from across the North Island, he said.

“They are interested in supporting their mates, they may come from a rival school but they are here for the music. That’s the really gratifying thing for me.”