Hingham Middle and High School students worked together to enchant the audience with their Jazz performance at the South Shore Conservatory on Friday, June 6th. Directed by Hingham High faculty member Mr. Brian Cincotta, the jazz band both revitalized classic jazz pieces and incorporated their own Hingham flare.

The concert started off with “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” a song originally written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince in 1941. This song was made famous by the Andrews sisters in the film Buck Privates and instantly became an iconic song for World War II. Since this song marks the earlier period in what is known as the “jump blues” music genre, it was the perfect way to start off the night of jazz.

The next song, “Skylark,” also debuted in 1941. Its lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer, while Hoagy Carmichael wrote the music. This song is considered a “jazz standard” by Alec Wilder, the author of American Popular Song: The Great Innovators. After hearing the amazing harmony and enthusiasm in which the jazz band played the song, everyone would agree that its classic beats sounded fresh out of the 40’s.

The middle of the concert was marked by the song “Summer Never Ends” by Bill Liston. This piece is slightly more modern than the previous two, which invigorated all of the family and friends who attended the concert. This was followed by “St. Louis Blues,” a song composed by W. C. Handy that has also been performed by musicians such as Louis Armstrong and guy Lombardo. After such an impressive collection of songs, the finale was becoming eagerly anticipated.

“Channel One Suite” was written by Bill Reddie, but it’s unrivaled most famous performance is by Bernard Rich. Commonly known as “Buddy Rich,” drummerworld.com refers to Bernard as “Arguably the greatest jazz drummer of all time”. High School jazz band members Evan Collins and Jack Ford showed determination and passion while playing their parts in the piece.     The concert then closed with “Groove is in the Heart”. This song was written and performed by band Deee-Lite in their “World Clique” debut album; it was a world-wide hit!

The Hingham High School and Middle School students had their hearts and minds fully in the music right until the end, and the finale was incredible. Once the song ended, the applause was instant; the night of jazz was an excellent and memorable way to start off a weekend. Congratulations to the HHS jazz band and Mr. Cincotta for their wonderful performances and musical talents.