Two Auckland bands have picked up the major awards in the Port of Tauranga National Youth Jazz Band Competition held in Tauranga at the weekend as part of the National Jazz Festival.

Pukekohe High School Stage Band won the New Orleans Trophy for Best Big Band and the Best of Festival Award for Most Outstanding Jazz Band, while the Avondale College Combo beat 14 other bands to take the Award for Best Secondary School Jazz Combo.

Both winning bands performed at the More FM Young Guns Showcase on Sunday, along with Mt Roskill Grammar Jazz Combo who impressed the judges and scooped up three top individual awards – Jordan Lapwood won the Mayer Music Centre Trophy for Most Outstanding Guitarist, Michael Murray won the P&S Penman Trophy for Most Outstanding Bassist and David Cao won the Yanagisawa Trophy for Best Saxophonist.

Avondale College and Pukekohe High School also received a share of the individual awards with Avondale College’s drummer Rueben Jellyman awarded the George Rawiri Trophy for Most Outstanding Young Musician and the Hill/Willcock Trophy for Most Outstanding Drummer, while Pukekohe High School Stage Band’s trombonist Kaito Walley received the Rodger Fox Trophy for Most Outstanding Trombonist and Pukekohe High School’s drummer Albert Lee was also acknowledged by the judges.

Palmerston North Boys’ High School was awarded the Dennis Huggard Trophy for Best First Year Performance Band.

And while local Bay of Plenty schools missed out on the big awards, the judges made special mention of Tauranga Girls’ College Big Band and student Catherine Mason was awarded the Bay City Music Trophy for Most Outstanding Keyboard Player, while Tauranga Boys’ College student Eric Begley picked up the Tom Bayliss Trophy for Most Outstanding Clarinetist.

The contest, now in its 33^rd year, attracted entries from around the country with bands travelling from as far afield as Christchurch, Kerikeri and Wellington.

 Adjudicator Rodger Fox said the standard of performance from the bands has increased this year which is encouraging for the future of jazz in New Zealand.

Pukekohe High School Stage Band leader Niels Leffelaar said he was “thrilled for the kids – they have worked incredibly hard and really deserve this”.

He said the band decided to change a song on Tuesday, giving the musicians and vocalist Rochelle Fausett just three days to learn the music and lyrics.

“We have been practicing for months, but one of the pieces just wasn’t working, so we changed it earlier this week and performed Some of My Best Friends Are The Blues. It was the right decision.”

Pukekohe High School has been a regular entrant in the competition and won ‘Best New Band’ six years ago, but despite winning other jazz competition prizes around the country, the Tauranga prize has been “elusive.

“We have done well at other competitions, but the standard in Tauranga is always very high. This rounds off our trophy cabinet nicely,” Mr Leffelaar said.  The $2000 prize money for both awards will be put towards the band’s South Island tour later this year.

Avondale College had previously won the Combos section in 2004, but this win was the first for band director Ross Devereux.

“It is really awesome and very exciting,” he said. “The students have all worked incredibly hard.”

The seven-piece combo was the first to compete in the Combos section, playing on Friday afternoon and most of the band returned to Auckland before the winners were announced, leaving tenor saxophone player Jo Walker and pianist Hayden Randles to collect the trophy and frantically call the rest of the band to tell them the good news.

“It is really exciting,” Jo said. “Most of us have been playing together for the past three years, but we have a new bassist this year.”

Dr Fox said the band’s innovative approach to the music they played sealed the award. “They don’t just play the material – they came up with different ways of playing and they have a very good handle on the jazz language.”

Other awards presented at the More FM Young Guns Showcase for individual stars went to Jacob Pritchard (Huntley School) – Ken Mitchell Trophy for Best Original Composition; Jesse Stratford (Palmerston North Boys High School) – Dave Feehan Trophy for Most Outstanding Vocalist; Mitchell Spence (Trident High School) – Edwina Thorne Trophy for Most Outstanding Trumpet or Flugel Player; and the Bill Hoffmeister Trophy for Most Outstanding Pianist went to Gloria Yi of Northcote College.

For further information and to arrange interviews, please contact:

Sally Woodfield | Publicist | National Jazz Festival | 021 868 020 | sally@swpr.co.nz

PORT OF TAURANGA NATIONAL YOUTH JAZZ BAND COMPETITION

TROPHY WINNERS 2010

NEW ORLEANS TROPHY for Best Big Band: Pukekohe High School Stage Band

GEORGE RAWIRI TROPHY for Most Outstanding Young Musician: Rueben Jellyman (Avondale College)

KEN MITCHELL TROPHY for Best Original Composition: Jacob Pritchard (Huntley School)

RODGER FOX TROPHY for Most Outstanding Trombonist: Kaito Walley (Pukekohe High School)

DAVE FEEHAN TROPHY for Most Outstanding Vocalist: Jesse Stratford (Palmerston North Boys’ High)

EDWINA THORNE TROPHY for Most Outstanding Trumpet or Flugel Player: Mitchell Spence (Trident High School)

TOM BAYLISS TROPHY for Most Outstanding Clarinetist: Eric Begley (Tauranga Boys’ College)

MAYERS MUSIC CENTRE TROPHY for Most Outstanding Guitarist: Jordan Lapwood (Mt Roskill Grammar)

BAY CITY MUSIC TROPHY for Most Outstanding Keyboard Player: Catherine Mason (Tauranga Girls’ College)

P & S PENMAN TROPHY for Most Outstanding Bassist: Michael Murray (Mt Roskill Grammar School)

HILL/WILCOCK TROPHY for Most Outstanding Drummer: Rueben Jellyman (Avondale College). Special Mention: Albert Lee (Pukekohe High School)

BILL HOFFMEISTER TROPHY for Most Outstanding Pianist: Gloria Yi (Northcote College)

YANAGISAWA TROPHY for Best Saxophonist: David Cao (Mt Roskill Grammar School)

THE MASSEY UNIVERSITY AWARD for Best Secondary School Jazz Combo: Avondale College Combo

BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD for Most Outstanding Jazz Band: Pukekohe High School