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New Jersey Association for Jazz Education

​NJAJE State Jazz Festival Archive

2021

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, the New Jersey State Jazz Ensemble Festival was canceled.

2020

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020, the New Jersey State Finals for Jazz Ensembles were canceled. However, the following 27 bands were selected to compete as State Finalists as a result of the State Preliminary Festival held in early March. Following are the State Finalist Bands, listed alphabetically by Division for 2020:
Division I (Largest School Populations)

Bridgewater-Raritan HS Monday Band
Cherokee HS Jazz Ensemble
East Brunswick HS Jazz Ensemble
Elizabeth HS Jazz Ensemble
JP Stevens HS Jazz Ens
JP Stevens HS Lab Jazz 
Newark Academy "Chameleon" 
Newark Academy "NA Big Band"
Passaic County Technical Institute Jazz Band

Division II (Moderate School Populations)

Edison HS Jazz Ensemble
Mount Olive HS Jazz Ensemble
Princeton HS Jazz Ensemble
Princeton HS Studio Band
Randolph HS Jazz Ensemble 1
Scotch Plains-Fanwood HS Moonglowers
Shawnee HS Jazz Ensemble
Southern Regional HS Jazz Ensemble
West Orange HS Jazz Ensemble 1

Division III (Smallest School Populations)

Deptford HS Jazz Ensemble
Highland Regional HS Jazz Ensemble
Metuchen HS Jazz Ensemble
Overbrook HS Jazz Ensemble
Seneca HS Jazz Ensemble
Sparta HS Blues, Inc!
Steinert HS Jazz Ensemble
Wayne Valley HS Big Band
West Milford HS Jazz Ensemble

2019

Division I (Largest School Populations)
1st Place        John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
2nd Place       Cherokee
3rd Place        Edison

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Bridgewater-Raritan Monday Band
East Brunswick
Elizabeth Jazz Band

John P. Stevens Lab Jazz
Passaic County Technical Institute
West Orange Jazz 1

Section Awards
Saxophone    John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Trumpet         John P. Stevens Lab Jazz
Trombone      West Orange
Rhythm          Cherokee

Solo Awards
Omkar Sonavane, Alto Sax, Edison 
Carlos Hernandez, Trumpet, JP Stevens Lab Jazz 
Grace Fox, Trumpet, Cherokee 
Elton Boyd, Drums, Edison 

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Bryana Crockett, Drums, Cherokee

Richard A. Graham Scholarship
Zoe Wang, Bari Sax, JP Jazz Ensemble 

​Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Division II (Moderate School Populations)
1st Place      Scotch Plains-Fanwood Moonglowers
2nd Place     Princeton Studio Band
3rd Place      Princeton Jazz Ensemble

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Jackson Liberty
Mendham
Mount Olive
Northern Burlington County
Steinert
Wayne Valley

Section Awards
Saxophone     SPF Moonglowers
Trumpet          SPF Moonglowers
Trombone       Princeton Studio Band
Rhythm           Mount Olive

Solo Awards
Siara Alam, Mendham Jazz Ensemble 
Grace Quackenboss, Northern Burlington 
Anthony Demateis, Jackson Liberty Jazz Ensemble 
Allan Romero, SPF Moonglowers 

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Simon Hwang, Princeton Studio

Richard A. Graham Scholarship
Stephen Oduro, SPF Moonglowers

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Princeton Studio Band
Division III (Smallest School Populations)
1st Place        Newark Academy Chameleon
2nd Place       West Milford
3rd Place        Newark Academy Big Band

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Delaware Valley
Deptford
Highland
Holmdel
Overbrook
Seneca

Section Awards
Saxophone     Newark Academy Chameleon
Trumpet          Overbrook
Trombone       Deptford
Rhythm           Newark Academy Chameleon

Solo Awards
Michael Wang, Alto Sax, NA Chameleon
Sammi Powell, Vocals, NA Chameleon
Ben Chaddha, Trumpet, NA Chameleon
Maurice Wade, Trumpet, Overbrook

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Sidiq Huballa, Drums, Highland

​Richard A. Graham Scholarship
Amanda Roth, Flute, West Milford

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Newark Academy Chameleon

2018

Division I (Largest School Populations)
1st Place        John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
2nd Place       Edison
3rd Place        John P. Stevens Lab Jazz

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Camden Creative Arts
Cherokee
East Brunswick
Elizabeth Jazz Ensemble

Southern Regional
West Orange Jazz 1

Section Awards
Saxophone    Edison
Trumpet         John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Trombone      John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Rhythm          Edison

Solo Awards
Elton Byrd, Drums, Edison
Isaiah Rivera, Piano, Camden Creative Arts
Valerie Collado, Trombone, Edison
Destiny Diggs Pinto, Bass, West Orange

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Varun Das, Drums, John P. Stevens

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Division II (Moderate School Populations)
1st Place      Princeton Studio Band
2nd Place     Princeton Jazz Ensemble
3rd Place      Scotch Plains-Fanwood Moonglowers

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Hightstown
Jackson Memorial
Mendham
Mount Olive
Shawnee Jazz Band
Shawnee Jazz Ensemble

Section Awards
Saxophone     SPF Moonglowers
Trumpet          Princeton Jazz Ensemble
Trombone       Shawnee Jazz Ensemble
Rhythm           Princeton Jazz Ensemble

Solo Awards
Selia Gupta, Princeton Jazz Ensemble
Simon Hwang, Princeton Studio
Ethan Wollman, SPF Moonglowers
​Peter Rushing, Shawnee Jazz Band

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Liam Sutcliffe, Trumpet,  Princeton Studio

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Princeton Studio Band
Division III (Smallest School Populations)
1st Place        Newark Academy Chameleon
2nd Place       West Milford
3rd Place        Jackson Liberty

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Burlington City
Deptford
Highland
Newark Academy Big Band
Overbrook
Roxbury

Section Awards
Saxophone     Newark Academy Chameleon
Trumpet          Jackson Liberty
Trombone       West Milford
Rhythm           Newark Academy Chameleon

Solo Awards
Alan Zhu, Tenor Sax, Newark Acad. Chameleon
Reid Christmann, Trombone, Newark Ac. Cham.
Vikram Bala, Bass, Newark Academy Chameleon
​Eric Darnsteadt, Drums, West Milford

Rick Kerber Scholarship
David Grahm, Alto Sax, Deptford

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Newark Academy Chameleon

2017

Division I (Largest School Populations)
1st Place        John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
2nd Place       Edison
3rd Place        Camden Creative Arts

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Cherokee
Elizabeth Jazz Band
Elizabeth Jazz Ensemble

John P. Stevens Lab Jazz
Passaic County Technical Institute
West Orange Jazz 1

Section Awards
Saxophone    Edison
Trumpet         John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Trombone      Camden Creative Arts
Rhythm          John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble

Solo Awards
Dave Mosko, Trombone, Cherokee
Anthony King, West Orange Jazz 1
Cheik Higgs, John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Zachary Kibel, John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Jean Paolo Flores, Edison

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Division II (Moderate School Populations)
1st Place      Princeton Studio Band
2nd Place     Scotch Plains-Fanwood Moonglowers
3rd Place      Princeton Jazz Ensemble

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Hopewell Valley
Jackson Liberty
Morristown
Nutley
Sparta Blues Inc.
Steinert

Section Awards
Saxophone     SPF Moonglowers
Trumpet          SPF Moonglowers
Trombone       Princeton Jazz Ensemble
Rhythm           Princeton Jazz Ensemble

Solo Awards
Liam Sutcliffe, Trumpet,  Princeton Studio
Ethan Blaser, Princeton Jazz Ensemble
Harrison Tsui, Princeton Studio
Ethan Cheung, Tenor Sax, SPF Moonglowers

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Raphael Krause Palit, Sparta Blues Inc.

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Princeton Studio Band
Division III (Smallest School Populations)
1st Place        Newark Academy Chameleon
2nd Place       West Milford
3rd Place        Deptford

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Bergenfield
Burlington City
Highland
Newark Academy Big Band
Overbrook
Science Park

Section Awards
Saxophone     West Milford
Trumpet          Newark Academy Chameleon
Trombone       West Milford
Rhythm           Deptford

Solo Awards
Alan Zhu, Tenor Sax, Newark Acad. Chameleon
Shaan Pandiri, Bass, Newark Acad. Chameleon
David Grahm, Alto Sax, Deptford
Jacob Cuevas, Piano, Deptford

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Alex Kerssen, Tenor Sax, West Milford

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Newark Academy Chameleon

2016

Division I (Largest School Populations)
1st Place        John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
2nd Place       Cherokee
3rd Place        Elizabeth Upper Academy

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Bridgewater-Raritan Monday Band
Camden Creative Arts
John P. Stevens Lab Jazz
Shawnee Jazz Ensemble
Southern Regional
West Orange Jazz 1

Section Awards
Saxophone    John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Trumpet         John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Trombone      Bridgewater-Raritan Monday Band
Rhythm          Camden Creative Arts

Solo Awards
Kelsey Bolden, Vibraphone, Camden
Dave Mosko, Trombone, Cherokee
Brian Jiang, Flugelhorn, JP Stevens Lab Jazz
Charlie Barber, Trumpet, Cherokee

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Carlton Harris, Flute/Sax, Camden

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Division II (Moderate School Populations)
1st Place       Scotch Plains-Fanwood Moonglowers
2nd Place      Princeton Studio Band
3rd Place       Princeton Jazz Ensemble

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Cherry Hill West
Morristown
Mount Olive
Nutley
Roxbury
Scotch Plains-Fanwood Jazz

Section Awards
Saxophone     Roxbury
Trumpet          Princeton Studio Band
Trombone       SPF Moonglowers
Rhythm           Princeton Studio Band

Solo Awards
Tommy Rust, Vibraphone, Roxbury
Liam Sutcliffe, Trumpet,  Princeton Studio
Michael Bereski, Bass, Nutley
Ethan Cheung, Tenor Sax, SPF Moonglowers

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Joe Bell, Guitar, Princeton Studio Band

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Princeton Studio Band
Division III (Smallest School Populations)
1st Place        Newark Academy Chameleon
2nd Place       West Milford
3rd Place        Deptford

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Bergenfield
Burlington City
Highland
Metuchen
Newark Academy Big Band
Overbrook

Section Awards
Saxophone     Newark Academy Chameleon
Trumpet          West Milford
Trombone       Highland
Rhythm           Newark Academy Chameleon

Solo Awards
Luca Moretti, Piano/Accordian, NA Big Band
Samantha Powell, Vocals, NA Chameleon
Cosimo Fabrizio, Guitar,  NA Chameleon
Stephen Rampolla, Piano, West Milford

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Matt Voltaire, Trumpet, Overbrook

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
West Milford

2015

Division I (Largest School Populations)
1st Place         Camden Creative Arts
2nd Place       John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
3rd Place        Cherokee

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Bridgewater-Raritan Monday Band
Bridgewater-Raritan Tuesday Band
East Brunswick
Elizabeth Lower Academy
Elizabeth Upper Academy
John P. Stevens Lab Jazz

Section Awards
Saxophone     Bridgewater-Raritan Monday
Trumpet         John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Trombone      Camden Creative Arts
Rhythm          Cherokee

Solo Awards
Michael Spearman, Trombone, Camden
Stephen Pale, Bass, Cherokee
Lea Chen, Trombone, JP Stevens Lab Jazz
Pratik Pradhan, Alto Sax, JP Stevens Jazz Ensemble

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Richard Williams, Alto Sax, Camden

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
John P. Stevens Jazz Ensemble
Division II (Moderate School Populations)
1st Place       Scotch Plains-Fanwood Moonglowers
2nd Place      Princeton Studio Band
3rd Place       Shawnee Jazz Ensemble

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Cherry Hill West
Jackson Liberty
Princeton Jazz Ensemble
Randolph Jazz I
Scotch Plains-Fanwood Jazz
Steinert

Section Awards
Saxophone     SPF Moonglowers
Trumpet          Princeton Studio
Trombone       Shawnee Jazz Ensemble
Rhythm           Princeton Jazz Ensemble

Solo Awards
Ananth Balasubramanian, Princeton Studio
Joe Bell, Princeton Studio
Sam Wolsk, Princeton Studio
Katherine Gerberich, Princeton Studio

Rick Kerber Scholarship
Alex Karakis, SPF Moonglowers

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
Princeton Studio
Division III (Smallest School Populations)
1st Place        Newark Academy Chameleon
2nd Place       West Milford
3rd Place        Deptford

Remaining Finalists (in Alphabetical Order)
Highland
Holmdel
Mahwah
Newark Academy Big Band
Nutley
Overbrook

Section Awards
Saxophone     Overbrook
Trumpet          West Milford
Trombone       Deptford
Rhythm           Newark Academy Chameleon

Solo Awards
Katie Jorgebsen, Flute/Vocal, Highland
Patrick Peters, Trumpet, NA Chameleon
Kevin Jaing, Trombone, NA Chameleon
Shane Fanning, Drums, Deptford

Rick Kerber Scholarship
George Austin, Bass, NA Chameleon

Richard A. Graham Sight Reading Award
West Milford
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