By Steve Hubrecht
David Thompson Secondary School (DTSS)’s Soul Machine jazz band returned from the BC Interior Jazz Festival in Kelowna last month having hit all the high notes.
The band’s excursion to Kelowna in April was its first trip to a jazz festival, and also its first performance outside the Columbia Valley. Band teacher Bryant Olender told?the Pioneer the jazz festival couldn’t have gone any better and added he hopes it’s just the start of big things to come for Soul Machine.
DTSS was without a school band of any kind for many years until Olender started up Soul Machine more than a year ago. Invermere students — and many other valley residents — have responded to the musical revival with enthusiasm; and fundraising efforts to get Soul Machine to Kelowna were a roaring success.
“It was incredible,” said Olender. “The kids had so much fun just being there. And our performance was amazing. It couldn’t possibly have gone any better. Of all the performances we’ve done, this was the best by far. It just really all came together for us, and the kids did a great job. I am so proud of all of them.”
Adjudicators at the festival agreed, awarding Soul Machine a silver rating.
That is quite the feat, especially for a band that hasn’t been together all that long, explained Olender. It’s even more impressive when you consider that Soul Machine consists of students from all grades at DTSS; Grade 8 through 12. At the jazz fest school bands were categorized according to their oldest members, so because Soul Machine has some Grade 12 members, it was primarily competing against Grade 12 bands from all across British Columbia.
“So that meant that not only were we up against bands that were, for the most part, older than us, it also meant we were playing against bands that have been playing and practising together for five years, while we’ve been together not even a year and a half,” said Olender. “But we held our own, and it was a great experience for everyone.”
Soul Machine guitarist Sam Cajica also earned an individual ‘outstanding performer’ certificate during the festival.
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