Hank Marr High School Jazz Award

Award Details

Grand Prize Winner

The grand prize winner will be awarded:

• The opportunity to perform as a guest soloist with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra.
• A $500 cash prize.
• A gift certificate redeemable for the purchase of eight Jamey Aebersold books—four to keep and four to give to their school music program.

Runner-Ups

• Two runners-up will earn gift certificates redeemable for the purchase of eight Jamey Aebersold books—four to keep and four to give to their school music program.

Audition Submissions

Your audition must be AUDIO ONLY. No video submissions will be accepted. Need help selecting a tune or creating an audition? See our tips below! 

Vocalists: Record two selections of your choice from Aebersold Play-A-Long Volume 107, Volume 113, or Volume 117. Selections should demonstrate contrasting styles. The entire audition recording should not exceed 10 minutes.

Brass and woodwinds: Submit two selections from the Jamey Aebersold collection of play-alongs. The entire audition recording should not exceed 10 minutes. 

• Jazz standard or 12-bar blues in a swing style demonstrating melody and soloing 
• A contrasting selection of your choice 

Guitar and piano: Submit two selections from the Jamey Aebersold collection of play-alongs. The entire audition recording should not exceed 10 minutes. 

• A jazz standard or 12-bar blues in a swing style demonstrating melody, comping, and soloing
• A contrasting selection of your choice 

Bassists: Submit the following selections with the play-along tracks of your choice. Please use tracks without bass. The entire audition recording should not exceed 10 minutes. 

• A jazz standard or 12-bar blues in a swing style demonstrating melody, timekeeping, and soloing
• A contrasting selection of your choice

Drummers: Submit the following selections with the play-along tracks of your choice. Please use tracks without drums. The entire audition recording should not exceed 10 minutes. 

• A jazz standard or 12-bar blues in a swing style demonstrating timekeeping, comping, and soloing; trading 4s and/or extended solo is recommended
• A contrasting selection demonstrating timekeeping and soloing: Afro-Cuban/Brazilian, funk/rock/hip-hop, jazz shuffle, or other jazz-related style

Audition Tips

• When choosing selections from the Jamey Aebersold collection of play-alongs, consider selecting from Volume 54, “Maiden Voyage,” which contains many good examples of common jazz standards. Purchase “Maiden Voyage” online.
• Jamey Aebersold’s list of songs for beginners contains many titles suitable for your audition. Download the song for beginners collection free.
• The “Rapid Reference” sheet features all Aebersold selections, including song titles, tempos, and song types (blues, standard, etc.). Download “Rapid Reference” free.

There are many ways to record your audition, from an iPhone recording to a portable recorder such as a Zoom or similar device, or even a recording in a full studio. Please ensure that your sound is as accurately demonstrated on the recording as possible. For questions on how to record your audition selections, please ask your band director/private teacher, or don’t hesitate to contact Zach Compston, Columbus Jazz VP of Education and Community Engagement at zach@columbusjazz.org.