High School Jazz Bands to Compete

Jazz bands from nine San Fernando Valley high schools will compete this weekend for a chance to perform in the first-ever San Fernando Valley Jazz Festival in May at Lake Balboa.

Both the competition and the jazz festival--named Jazz on the Lake--are sponsored by the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Jazz bands from Valley high schools were invited to compete, but only those from Birmingham, Canoga Park, Chaminade College Preparatory, Francis Polytechnic, Grant, Harvard-Westlake, North Hollywood, Taft and Van Nuys accepted the challenge, organizers said.

“It delights us to bring the new, young talents who are going to keep this musical art form alive to a wider audience,” said Martin M. Cooper, a producer of the festival.

“The public will have the opportunity to see the best of these upcoming jazz groups at the free high school competition, and the winners will enjoy the experience of performing at Jazz on the Lake alongside legends of jazz. It’s a win-win situation for everyone who loves jazz,” Cooper said.

Jazz on the Lake, which will be held May 17-18, will feature three stages and dozens of performers, including Les Brown and His Band of Renown, George Segal and the Ink Spots, among others, officials said.

Judging for the high school competition will follow criteria recommended by the International Assn. of Jazz Educators; judges will include bandleader Horace Heidt Jr. and other local musicians, officials said.

The competition will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Warner Center Pavilion, 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd., in Woodland Hills.

For more information, call the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce’s Festival Hotline at (818) 703-7859.