When the state gold medalist Shead High School jazz band found out they had an opportunity to attend the National Jazz Festival at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia during April school vacation week, they felt excited and honored, but had no real expectations of how they would do against larger, wealthier schools from all across the country. Perhaps it was that lack of pressure -- lead guitarist Ellis Zipperer-Sanchez reports that the quartet "just played as best we could" and "felt the same as on the smaller stage" -- that led to a stellar performance with rave reviews from adjudicator Matt Davis, a national second-place finish in their small ensemble division and two individual awards for Zipperer-Sanchez.
      Traveling to Philadelphia with a load of band gear is not inexpensive, but the Shead administration, staff, students and parents were immediately enthusiastic about making the trip happen. Principal Paul Theriault says, "The band needed to go. No question." He spoke to AOS 77 Superintendent Kenneth Johnson, who pledged school department resources, including the van and help with expenses. With the trip a reality, word spread and donations from individuals and organizations in the community started rolling in. A concert by the quartet at the Eastport Arts Center (EAC) after their win at the state competition led to the EAC donating the entire gate.
      The members of the quartet, Zipperer-Sanchez, second guitarist Nate Tardif, bassist Antonio Vizcarrondo and drummer Kieran Weston, along with music director Robert Sanchez and local bus driver/self-described "drum tech" David Hanby, had a day of sightseeing in Philadelphia before their performance on Saturday afternoon, April 22. Tardif, for whom this was the first time in a big city, says that it was "a long trip with a lot of stops, but we saw a lot of stuff."
      Theriault notes that in addition to the opportunity to compete and perform, there is value for students in getting out of rural Maine to see something of the rest of the world. He adds that, for a small high school like Shead, "to be able to compete at this level is a testament to Eastport, to Sanchez, and to musicians and venues like Heron Weston, John Squibb and the EAC. We competed against private college-preparatory schools charging as much as $60,000 in tuition, with the first-place winner in our division being a private school in Philadelphia and the third-place and honorable-mention winners being two private schools from Manhattan."
      The Shead Jazz Quartet finished in second place in division "Small Ensemble S-2." They were only four points out of first place and 10 points ahead of the third-place band. Adjudicator Davis, chair of the guitar department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a professional jazz guitarist, noted that the quartet was "very solid, and I am really impressed that no charts [sheet music] were used, which means they were more able to connect with the songs at a level of ownership" and "everybody owned their thing." He went on to say that "there were no glaring negative things worth mentioning." In individual critiques, he noted drummer Weston's "impeccable sense of time," Tardif's "great technique" in rhythm playing and Vizcarrondo's "great support" at bass. About Zipperer-Sanchez, Davis said, "Amazing for [age] 14. I can't wait to hear more from you. Your attack, chord vocabulary, language, sense of rhythm and flowing of the melody were spot on, so much facility, so much skill."
      It was those observations that led Davis to award Zipperer-Sanchez the Judge's Choice Award. Festival-wide, awards were given at two levels in each division, several for Outstanding Musician and one for Superior Musician. Zipperer-Sanchez collected the Superior Musician Award in Small Ensemble S-2, which he describes as "cool," but also "underwhelming" due to the lack of an audience in the performance space to cheer the quartet on.
      Theriault is amazed that "an eighth grader, a home-schooled sophomore and two seniors who began playing less than a year ago" came together to perform at this level. He gives accolades to band director Sanchez, who "gives kids a chance and makes it fun" while taking the musicianship to such a high level. He further notes that "these are not kids who are in the studio 24/7, they're well-rounded students and athletes and community members as well. This is a testament to the hard work these kids put in."
      Tardif states that the festival was "a great experience and a good achievement to get out and show people what a little school in Maine can do." Vizcarrondo adds that he is "very pleased with how far we went. I never would've pictured competing at this level or thought I'd be able to have this experience. I'm glad I got to share it with friends."
      Weston puts the spotlight on the community, saying, "I'm very happy with the results, but what I liked best was how supportive the community was. That was very impressive." Zipperer-Sanchez notes that it was "super cool that Mr. T. and my dad gave us this opportunity, and that we gave ourselves the opportunity. It was exciting to get awards."
      As well as sharing driver duties, Hanby served as videographer for the trip, posting multiple videos on Facebook, which garnered a large number of "likes" and "loves" and "shares," and were much appreciated by the quartet's many fans back home.
      On Tuesday evening, April 25, the quartet was honored with a reception in the high school gym. About 100 people showed up to hear Theriault, Sanchez and the musicians talk about the festival and answer questions from the audience, of which there were many. Each of the band members was presented with a sweatshirt hoodie with a "Shead Ahead jazz combo" logo. Following the presentation, everyone was invited to enjoy a variety of sandwiches, sweets and other treats.