Southern Youth Jam Jazz Festival is a 4 day long Secondary School Jazz Music Competition / Festival held each year in early Term 3, in Blenheim. The CBHS Jazz groups competed this year playing some of the toughest music they had encountered and they did exceptionally well. 2016 saw the biggest festival yet, with 17 different schools from around the South Island vying for Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards along with individual honours as well. 

Alongside the competition element to the Festival, each school was allocated a number of public performances in and around Blenheim and Picton. The venues ranged from primary schools to restaurants, cafes to Bars, RSA’s to Churches. The ability to perform so often in such varied locations in such a short timeframe really gives the students the feeling of being a ‘professional musician’ and they totally embraced the opportunity.

CBHS entered three different ensembles in the competition: Dixie Combo, Funk Ensemble and Big Band. Each group performed marvelously and received great feedback from audience members and judges alike. In the final wash-up, the Dixie Band won a Silver Award, the Big Band won a Gold Award, and the Funk Ensemble won a ‘Gold Award’. During the course of the week the judges listened to every school at the festival and chose an ‘All Star Band’ – a single band that comprised the best of the best on each particular instrument. This band then rehearsed on the final afternoon and featured in that evenings sold-out gala concert held in the new ASB theatre in Blenheim. 5 members of the CBHS groups were selected for this band: Dean Gibson on Drums, Alex Smith on Alto Sax, Oliver Carter on Trumpet, Sam White on Guitar, and Tarn Puentener-King on Percussion. With only 19 students selected to be in the band it was a great effort for CBHS to have over 25% of the members. Members of the CBHS groups also won individual awards. Tarn Puentener-King won ‘Most Outstanding Musician on a non-traditional jazz instrument’ on Percussion, Sam White won ‘Most Outstanding Bassist’, Dean Gibson won ‘Best Big-Band Drummer’, ‘Most Outstanding Drummer’, and he also took out the premier individual award of the festival - ‘Most Outstanding Musician’ To cap the whole week off, the CBHS Funk Ensemble was named as ‘Best Jazz Ensemble’ at the Festival.

Many thanks must go to Mike Fairhurst and Clayton Hiku whom tirelessly tutor and mentor the Dixie and Funk Bands to the level they have now gotten to. Their support of me and our department vision is always evident and very much appreciated. Bring on 2017 and yet another year of jazz music making!

View more pictures of the boys in action here.