The Central jazz band received a 1+ rating at the McPherson College Jazz Festival this year.

“I honestly have not seen that in McPherson, and especially from those judges,” director Guillermo Rodriguez said. “[One judge in particular] is very critical on groups. I’ve hardly ever seen him ever give a regular 1 out, let alone a 1+.”

A 1+ is above the superior score of a 1. It is given when judges have difficulty finding areas to critique.

The jazz band brought “Half the Fun,” “Uchibeng Wow-Wow,” “That Warm Feeling,” and “Out of the Doghouse” to McPherson.

“I liked ‘That Warm Feeling,’” senior piano player Jasmine Kassem said. “It was like a showcase for the piano. It had a solo and I was able to be featured.”

Kassem received an outstanding musicianship award for that piece.

“Even though we practice every other day, I really like hearing the solos and rhythm section on the stage while we’re performing,” sophomore trumpet player Kristina Perkins said. “It sounds better.”

This festival was freshman Paityn Berndt’s first time on the big stage for a high school competition. She plays in the rhythm section.

“It was nerve-wracking,” Berndt said. “But it was fun, [a] good experience.”

Salina Soul Collective, a student-led jazz combo composed of Central students, also played at McPherson and received a superior rating.

The jazz combo has performed at events like the Smoky Hill River Festival, as well as other jazz festivals and gigs in the past.

“It’s an organized group outside of school, so we’re not affiliated with Central,” Kassem said. “We built a set. We rehearsed together, and then we had our own set at McPherson. We got graded separately for that.”

They performed “Take the A Train,” “The Girl from Ipanema,” and “A Night in Tunesia.”

“[McPherson] was a good experience,” Kassem said. “I’m just excited to see how well we do [at Baker].”

The Central jazz band is bringing “Uchibeng Wow-Wow,” “Besame Mucho,” “Amoroso,” and “Furioso” to Baker University Kevin Mahogany Jazz Festival on Nov. 22.

“I’m excited about doing a full Latin set,” Rodriguez said. “It shows the complexity and the diversity of Latin music from all of the different countries and regions of Latin America that they come from.”

Junior percussion and bass player Julian Lundberg’s favorite song from their upcoming set at Baker is “Furioso.”

“[Furioso] is really exciting with loud parts and it’s just fierce,” Lundberg said. “I love all of the music, and all the different styles. Rodriguez has chosen a lot of Latin styles, hailing from South America and Mexico this year. I really like experimenting with those. It’s just fun to learn new stuff and play it.”

Getting the 1+ rating was great, but to Rodriguez that wasn’t the best part of the competition. 

“My favorite part is just the true musical creation,” Rodriguez said, “releasing the control to students and seeing what direction they go with the music. It’s awesome.”

Rodriguez said that it was a huge payoff for him when a professional came in to work with the jazz band the week before their performance and had no advice for them, asking how they had such a big change in such a short amount of time.

“It’s just such a welcoming group,” Perkins said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re first part or fourth part. They all treat you with respect as long as you treat anyone else with respect. It’s fun, I’m always excited for the class.”

Jazz band is just one of the arts that Central excels in, Rodriguez said.

“Our admin is fantastic, and thank you Dr. Brungardt for allowing us to do these things,” Rodriguez said. “I think that our performing arts here at Salina Central are truly some of the greatest in the state.”