It was bitterly cold in the Moscow, Idaho area during the festival this year, with the thermometer plunging to -11 degrees Fahrenheit (-24 C) on Friday evening.  Brrr…

All groups performed well for the judges, although because of the way the student concert has morphed in the past two or three years, hardly anybody comes to hear the bands, instead going to dinner in preparation for the evening concert.  I personally miss the excitement of the festival from a few years earlier when winners and runners up were announced, soloists performed on the big stage, and winner bands performed on the big stage.  When Bonnie and Sandy performed with their middle school winning band just five years ago, several thousand students, parents, and jazz fans heard them perform.  This year when the same middle school performed, there were 90% fewer people listening.  Clearly, the train has come off the tracks for the student concert.

Regardless, there were photo ops galore as Kim and I followed the Roosevelt Jazz kids around.  Vocal Jazz did have their chance to perform on the Kibbie Dome stage, mostly to their friends from Roosevelt and Garfield High School.

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Roosevelt Vocal Jazz Ensemble at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival