John Brown’s Little Big Jazz Band Brings the Beat to Northwood and Seaforth High Schools
What happens when you bring 11 talented jazz musicians, a little music history, and a whole lot of rhythm into a high school auditorium on a rainy Friday? At Northwood and Seaforth High Schools on October 9, the answer was simple: something pretty fire!
And yes, that’s a direct review from a teenager.
The day began with a surprise. As students settled into their seats, members of John Brown’s “Little” Big Jazz Band made an entrance playing their instruments as they marched down the aisles. No warning. No introduction. Just live music filling the auditorium from every direction. Suddenly, this wasn’t going to be an ordinary school assembly. But not everyone was convinced at first. One student asked before the performance, “Is this going to be lame?”
Fair question from a high schooler on a Friday. But just wait.
Led by acclaimed jazz bassist, educator, and musician John Brown, the 11-piece ensemble brought an incredible range of sounds to the stage. Trumpets. Trombones. Piano. Drums. Guitar. Bass. And one especially versatile musician who moved between the saxophone, clarinet, and flute. According to one student, “he was pretty dope!”
Brown, who holds a music degree from UNC Greensboro and a law degree from UNC Chapel Hill, has built an impressive career as both a performer and educator. His musical journey has taken him to prestigious stages, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and a few notable award nominations for an Emmy and Grammy. But on this particular Friday, his audience was a little younger—and perhaps a little harder to impress.
Challenge accepted.
Throughout the performance, Brown did much more than introduce songs. He introduced students to the instruments, demonstrated their unique sounds, and wove in fascinating bits of music history and culture. Each selection became a mini-lesson in the evolution of jazz, the musicians who shaped it, and the way music connects people across generations. And the students were listening.
Feet started tapping. Heads began nodding. When a musician stepped forward for a particularly impressive solo, the auditorium erupted in cheers. These weren’t polite, obligatory applause moments. These were teenagers genuinely appreciating some serious musical talent. Then came a familiar tune. When the band launched into a jazz rendition of Pharrell Williams’ Happy, the students lit up. A song they knew, transformed by the sounds of a live jazz ensemble, quickly became a crowd favorite. It was the perfect reminder that jazz isn’t just music from the past. It’s a living, evolving art form that can take something familiar and make it sound brand new.
At one point, students were asked how many had ever attended a live concert. About half raised their hands. But when asked how many had experienced a live jazz concert, only a few hands remained. For many students, this was their very first encounter with live jazz.And what an introduction!
By the end of the performance, students weren’t rushing for the exits. They were rushing toward the musicians. Some wanted to ask questions. Others wanted to meet the performers who had caught their attention. One group of boys even hurried up to grab a selfie with John Brown.
And remember that student who wondered if the performance would be lame? He came back afterward with his official review. It was definitely NOT lame. In fact, it was “fire!” For those who don’t speak fluent teenager, that’s about as good a review as you can get. And that’s the magic of an Artists-in-Schools experience.
Sometimes learning happens with a textbook. Sometimes it happens through a conversation. And sometimes, on a rainy Friday in October, it happens when 11 musicians fill an auditorium with the sounds of jazz, students discover something they’ve never experienced before, and a teenager who expected to be bored walks away calling it fire. Not a bad way to end a school week if you ask us!
Leave a Reply