Jazz Articles about Arizona Jazz Academy Ellington Band

Arizona Jazz Academy Ellington Band: Jazz Around the World

by Jack Bowers
November 22, 2006

High school students? No way! Then again, these aren't just any high school students--they're the cream of the jazz crop in Tucson, Arizona. They've survived auditions to become members of the four-year-old Arizona Jazz Academy and worked their way up through the Academy's ranks to become members of its eighth and best large ensemble, the impressive Ellington Band.

Listening to the band's latest album (recorded at the AJA), one can readily appreciate why every one of its graduates has been ...