The Mahopac High School Jazz Combo put on a show at the Freight House Café on March 15. The band — CJ Alonzi on bass, Jason Cruz on alto sax, Adam Spinella on drums, Olivia Spinella on trumpet, Ezra Bromberg on tenor sax, and Matthew Torrey on trombone — got café patrons into the swing of their Saturday morning with a set of classics, including tunes by John Coltrane, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver, along with an original by MHS Band Director Richard Williams.
Earlier in March, three Mahopac students went up to Syracuse to play in the NYS Band Directors Association Statewide Honor Bands. Eighth-grade trombonist Colin Sprague made the NYSBDA Middle School Honor Band, while tenth-graders Gooper Grimm (tuba) and Clara Sprague (French horn) played with the high school ensemble.
They were selected along with around 100 other top student musicians from across the state and were accompanied by Williams and MMS Band Director Mike Teglasi. After just two days of rehearsal with a guest conductor, "the weekend culminated with an outstanding performance to a packed house of parents, family, friends, and band directors from across the state," Williams said. "We are very proud of these high-achieving Mahopac students!"
The full Jazz Big Band will head to Armonk on March 30 for a Save the Children youth benefit concert celebrating marimba music and jazz, running from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Whippoorwill Theater at the North Castle Public Library, 19 Whippoorwill Road East, Armonk. The concert will also feature the GISNY Marimba Ensembles, the Hoff-Barthelson Jazz Ensemble, and the Wilton High School Jazz Big Band.
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