The Austin High School Jazz One ensemble traveled to the Eau Claire Jazz Festival on April 5 and brought home three Outstanding Soloist Awards.

Students recognized for their solos and improvisation were seniors Will Bjorndal (drums) and Matt Tylutki (trumpet), as well as junior Jacob Burkhart (trumpet).

This was Austin’s first time attending the Eau Claire festival, which is one of the nation’s largest and most competitive high school jazz band competitions. Nearly 100 of the best bands from Minnesota and Wisconsin took part in the daylong contest.

The ensemble performed the Miles Davis chart “Four,” the ballad “Beauty and the Beast,” and the 1970s Bill Chase classic rock tune “Get it On.”

The group received an average score of 90 out of 100 points from the three-judge panel of adjudicators, with their highest scores in the categories of presentation, intonation and ensemble balance. The festival also features a sight-reading component, with the band receiving a score of 86. Their overall score of 89 was good enough for fourth-place out of 16 bands in their division.

“This is a huge achievement for our students,” said director Bradley Mariska. “I wanted to attend the Eau Claire festival so they could hear some of the best jazz bands from throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin and it turns out that we can play very competitively with them. This is a great feeling and an amazing learning experience for our band students. With some work, there’s no reason we can not only compete, but perhaps even win our division by next year. These Austin students have as much talent as anybody out there.”

In addition to performing, students attended a series of clinics, master classes, and concerts throughout the day to develop their technique.

The Jazz Band is keeping busy in the coming weeks, with performances at the Relay for Life Black and White Ball at 7 p.m. on April 25 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center. They will also be performing at the Taste of Nations which takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 26 at the Oak Park Mall. The AHS Band Blast will take place at 7 p.m. on May 5 in Knowlton Auditorium with the AHS Spring Jazz Show at 7 p.m. on May 9 in Christgau Hall.