Calkins: Incredibly, the Central High jazz band did it. They won the whole thing.
The Central High jazz band won first place at the Essentially Ellington contest in New York. (Courtesy Leia Spengler Baker)
Geoff Calkins
Geoff Calkins has been chronicling Memphis and Memphis sports for more than two decades. He is host of "The Geoff Calkins Show" from 9-11 a.m. M-F on 92.9 FM. Calkins has been named the best sports columnist in the country five times by the Associated Press sports editors, but still figures his best columns are about the people who make Memphis what it is.
As Wynton Marsalis announced the winners, the 24 members of the Central High jazz band held hands.
The contest had been winnowed to three.
Hundreds of jazz bands from across the country and the world had competed to be included in the Essentially Ellington contest. Thirty bands had been invited to play at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
This is an excerpt of this story. To read more, please click here and subscribe.
Topics
Central High School "Ollie Liddell" Subscriber Only Essentially EllingtonAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Geoff Calkins on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Geoff Calkins' stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.