If anyone wasn’t paying attention, that would soon change very quickly. What was once silence turns into a song within the second, the vibrations of the bass traveling through the floor and into the bones of the players of the Carroll Jazz Orchestra, who have qualified for the highly selective Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band festival once again.
Essentially Ellington was launched in 1995 by Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, with the mission of providing resources to high school jazz programs. This year’s 31st annual competition occurs from April 30-May 2, hosting 20 high school bands from across the country, and will mark the eighth time the Carroll Jazz Orchestra has qualified for the competition.
“We had two all-day recording sessions from Dec. 21-22, getting the takes we wanted,” junior Sophia Kidwell said. “We recorded ‘Blues a la Machito,’ ‘The Gypsy’ and ‘Harlem Speaks,’ all of which were from this year’s catalogue of music.”
A large percentage of the 2026 Jazz Orchestra is made up of seniors, many of whom went to New York last year at Essentially Ellington’s 30th anniversary, when the program was selected for their seventh time.
“Because it was my senior year, this was my last chance to return to Ellington,” senior Joshua Janning said. “It was so fun to take a trip to NYC last year, and I can’t wait to go back. Playing at Lincoln Center is such an amazing experience, and it’s even better to play there with some of my best friends.”
Lincoln Center is one of the most famous music venues in the world, with musical icons like Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra all having performed on stage. The performances that will occur during Essentially Ellington will be livestreamed for free by Jazz at Lincoln Center, and recordings will be available on YouTube.
“It was really inspiring to be around such great bands,” senior Malak Almasary said. “Performing for Jazz at Lincoln Center was really cool, knowing that lots of people back home were watching.”
