“You rotten kid!” the crowd yells as the Jazz Ensemble Band captures the audience with a dynamic beat, leaving plenty of room for the alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, and trombone to shine during their solos.

This ensemble, “Rotten Kid,” by Buddy Rich was featured on April 26 at the Jazz Concert in Meyer Hall. The event was hosted by the Jazz Ensemble Band and Zero Hour Band as their last performance of the year. The concert included songs such as “Night Train,” “Count Me In,” and “Caravan,” a broad spectrum of tunes that varied from classic to modern.

“The [Jazz Band Ensemble] has been such a big part of the last three years of my life. We’ve accomplished so much together; they’ve helped me discover who I am and where I want to go,” band senior Ahmad Johnson said. “When I was performing my solo, I truly gave it all I had because I knew it was my last time performing at Dreyfoos.”

The Jazz Bands spent virtually the whole year rehearsing their songs. Some of the ensembles were also featured at the Swing Central Jazz Competition in Savannah, Ga, which garnered the students an honorable first place victory.

“We practiced day in and day out,” band freshman Lance Bass said. “I feel like the notes are ingrained into my brain and burned into the back of my eyelids. [Band director Evan Rogovin] made each of us memorize individual parts and then piece them together to create a final song in which each section’s notes complimented one another.”

Furthermore, the concert featured many solos from various young artists. One such solo was “Night Train” by Jimmy Forrest, in which band senior Michael Mackey performed a trumpet piece–belting out long notes and extensive melodies that echoed off the walls and prompted massive applause from the audience.

“He inspires all of us with his art,” band sophomore Nikki Lickstein said. “The trumpet is often underrated, but [Mackey] proves that it can create intricate and beautiful melodies. ‘Night Train’ is a very difficult piece, and I saw him practicing for weeks to perfect his performance.”

After a string of highly charged performances, the Jazz Band decided to slow things down with “Count Me In” by Billy Byers, a calm, coffeehouse melody that featured a bass solo from band senior Joshua Ewers, a rapid change of pace from the high woodwind tunes.

To close out the night, the Jazz Ensemble bid the audience a cheerful goodbye with a rendition of “Caravan” from the movie “Whiplash.” Every member of the audience stood up, their applause reverberating off the walls and causing the theater to swell with the sound.

“I’ll miss them a lot. They’ve done everything I’ve asked them to do, and it’s been such a pleasure to work with them for the past four years. We’ve accomplished so much together as a group,” said Hernandez.