On Feb. 27, Liberty’s two jazz bands traveled to Coe College in Cedar Rapids to compete in the Coe College Jazz Summit.

Under the direction of Ryan Arp, band instructor, the Lightning Jazz band competed in the 4A second band class. They performed the songs The Creole Love Call, The Jazz Police, Fat Cat, and Pantalones Malos.  

Also under Arp’s instruction, The Liberty Jazz Ensemble competed in the 4A class. They performed As Light Through Leaves, C Jam Blues ala Mambo, I’ll Take Les, and Hard Right.

 “Getting applause [is my favorite thing because] it feels good after working on difficult music,” said Caden Schweitzer, junior and trumpet player for the Jazz Ensemble. 

Competing against over 16 bands, neither the Lightning Jazz or Jazz Ensemble placed in the top three, but the Jazz Ensemble made top nine.

According to Arp, both bands still performed their best.

“[I] thought the Lightning Jazz performance was really special [because] the students played with heart and energy, and the Jazz Ensemble [had] a fun and enthusiastic audience that really brought a positive vibe to the show,” said Arp. 

The last jazz band performance is Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. during Liberty Jazz Night.

Updated: March 3 at 10:19.