The Grammy-winning Honokaa High School Jazz Band is performing on Oahu this month as part of National Jazz Appreciation Month, which culminates in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s International Jazz Day on April 30. ADVERTISING The Grammy-winning
The Grammy-winning Honokaa High School Jazz Band is performing on Oahu this month as part of National Jazz Appreciation Month, which culminates in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s International Jazz Day on April 30.
This year, the band will also be promoting President Barack Obama’s All Star global jazz concert at the Whitehouse, the site of UNESCO’s International Jazz Day 2016.
The Honoka’a Jazz Band is a group of advanced music students who uphold a long tradition of excellence at Honokaa High and Intermediate School. Under the direction of Gary Washburn, a dedicated teacher and accomplished jazz artist, the group is considered one of the state’s top high school bands.
The band will perform a series of free concerts on Oahu through Sunday including today from 10-11 a.m. at Honolulu Community College and 6:30-7:30 p.m. at 15 Craigside. On Saturday, the band performs noon-1 p.m. at Navy Exchange, 6-7 p.m. at the Royal Hawaiian Center. On Sunday, the group will offer a 45-minute performance at 10 a.m. at Wet ‘n’ Wild Water Park.
The Honoka’a Jazz Band has been recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation as being an outstanding school for Music Education. Honokaa High School was one of 36 schools out of 22,000 eligible programs in the U.S. to receive the Grammy Signature Schools Award. Their director, Washburn, has been recognized as a Living Treasure of Hawaii for his work as a music educator and has received a Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction award.
“As a jazz lover, I’ve seen how music can bring people together in our communities and I’ve seen how this band helps students learn to work together to make something beautiful,” said Rep. Mark M. Nakashima, a former student of Washburn at Honokaa High School, who represents Hamakua and North and South Hilo.
“Jazz is this country’s indigenous art form, rooted deeply in the American experience,” he said. “The freedom of expression and its freewheeling spirit come from the same spark that gave birth to our democracy.”
