Because Andy Clausen does not drive, his age is a point of confusion to some of the older, professional jazz musicians with whom he frequently plays.
At 17, the Roosevelt High School senior is old enough to get his license but hasnt. His father, Curt, also an avid musician in his youth, sometimes drops him off or picks him up at gigs.
I take the bus. I can walk to clubs, Clausen said. He lives a short walk from Cafe Racer in the University District, where he plays once a week. I havent really had time to get my license; Ive been so busy.
Clausen is bound for Juilliard on scholarship in the fall. A rangy youth, with the kind of long, loose arms that are useful to a trombone player, he has a boyish, earnest face and still wears orthodontia.
Yet his skills belie his age. He often is called to sub in professional bands led by jazz pros Jim Knapp, Jay Thomas and Jim Cutler. Clausen also writes music for and performs with his own combos, made up of other high-school and college musicians.
This weekend, he and the Roosevelt High jazz band will compete in the prestigious Essentially Ellington jazz contest in New York for the sixth consecutive year. Two other local schools, Garfield and Edmonds-Woodway, also made the field of 15 finalists.
At 17, the Roosevelt High School senior is old enough to get his license but hasnt. His father, Curt, also an avid musician in his youth, sometimes drops him off or picks him up at gigs.
I take the bus. I can walk to clubs, Clausen said. He lives a short walk from Cafe Racer in the University District, where he plays once a week. I havent really had time to get my license; Ive been so busy.
Clausen is bound for Juilliard on scholarship in the fall. A rangy youth, with the kind of long, loose arms that are useful to a trombone player, he has a boyish, earnest face and still wears orthodontia.
Yet his skills belie his age. He often is called to sub in professional bands led by jazz pros Jim Knapp, Jay Thomas and Jim Cutler. Clausen also writes music for and performs with his own combos, made up of other high-school and college musicians.
This weekend, he and the Roosevelt High jazz band will compete in the prestigious Essentially Ellington jazz contest in New York for the sixth consecutive year. Two other local schools, Garfield and Edmonds-Woodway, also made the field of 15 finalists.
