The Jazz Arts Group recently announced the winner of its 2017 Hank Marr High School Jazz Award competition. Saxophonist Craig Jackson claimed the prize that “demonstrates excellence in musicianship and performance amongst Ohio’s young students of jazz” in multiple rounds of competition adjudicated by acclaimed Ohio musicians and educators. A new graduate of Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton and a former member of the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra, Jackson plans to attend Berklee College of Music this fall. However, Columbus audiences have a chance to see him in action before he heads to Boston. As part of his prize, Jackson will be featured with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra at the next installment of the 2017 JazZoo Series on Friday, August 4th at 8pm at the Columbus Zoo. Congratulations Craig and best of luck in your musical endeavors! Keep reading for full details from Jazz Arts Group:
JAZZ ARTS GROUP ANNOUNCES WINNER OF 2017 HANK MARR HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ AWARD
Stivers School for the Arts Graduate, Craig Jackson, Claims 2017 Hank Marr High School Jazz Award
Columbus, OH –The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) has announced its winner of the 2017 Hank Marr High School Jazz Award – 17 year-old saxophonist, Craig Jackson, a graduate of Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, Ohio. The award demonstrates excellence in musicianship and performance amongst Ohio’s young students of jazz and comes with a cash prize of $500 and an opportunity to perform with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, led by Byron Stripling, on the August 4th, 2017 JazZoo concert at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Jackson was one of three young performers to make it to the finals of the competition which began with a first round blind audition process adjudicated by Ryan Hamilton, professional trombonist and instructor at Capital University; Ben Huntoon, trumpeter and Jazz Education Specialist at Stanton’s Sheet Music; and Jim Leslie, drummer and Artist in Residence at the University of Dayton. A former member of the Cincinnati Youth Orchestra, Jackson plans to attend Berklee College of Music in the fall of 2017.
Students in the first round represented Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus and Dayton, OH. The other finalists were Samuel Breadon, guitarist, a junior at Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati; and Lucas Stickley-Miner, trumpet, a graduate of Centennial High School in Columbus and an alumnus of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra.
Adjudicators for the final round of the competition were Tom Carroll, guitar, retired Professor of Music, Denison University; Jim Rupp, drums, Lecturer, Ohio State University; and Shawn Wallace, saxophone, Associate Professor and Area Head of Jazz Studies, Ohio State University.
Columbus music legend Hank Marr was one of the world’s masters of the Hammond B-3 organ. Along with Hank’s celebrity status as a member of the jazz elite, he was a dedicated and gifted educator. In recognition of over fifty years as a performer, teacher, arranger and conductor, the Jazz Arts Group established the Hank Marr High School Jazz Award as a tribute to this special individual. His willingness to “pass it on” makes the encouragement of young jazz artists an important and meaningful activity.
Jazz Arts Group thanks Crabbe, Brown & James for its financial support of the Hank Marr High School Jazz Award and the many individual contributors who knew and loved Hank.
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About the Jazz Arts Group:
The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) is America’s oldest not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to producing, performing and promoting jazz. JAG is the third largest performing arts organization in Columbus and consists of four focus areas: the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO), one of the world’s finest professional jazz orchestras; the Jazz Academy, JAG’s extensive instructional programs educating both students and adults about jazz and American music; Inside Track, a jazz and blues performance series produced at the historic Lincoln Theatre; and Affiliate Musicians, a program providing employment opportunities for professional musicians.