Harmonious one moment, then dissonant the next.
Spontaneous, but sophisticated nonetheless.
That’s the sound of jazz music, and to baritone saxophone player senior Noel Benny, who recently gained a spot on the All-State Jazz band, it’s like a familiar friend.
“I’m really happy about my performance,” Benny said. “I’m really happy that all the hard work and dedication and the lessons I took, the people who helped me along the way—I’m really happy that it all paid off and that I get to go on this trip to San Antonio in February.”
Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) collects and evaluates student audition videos for several All-State bands, including All-State Jazz. However, there are only two spots on the All-State Jazz band available for baritone saxophone players like Benny to fill, which makes his achievement stand out.
“Making All-State Jazz is an incredibly difficult achievement,” Benny’s private lesson teacher Jared Marble said. “There can be well over a hundred saxophones that audition and only ten in the entire state make it. On top of that already small number, only two baritone saxes end up making All-State Jazz, and Noel was one of them.”
Benny’s love for jazz started in 6th grade, when he was picking an instrument to play in his middle school band.
“In 6th grade, when I was choosing an instrument to play for band, I really liked the saxophone,” Benny said. “I really liked the sound. I really liked the jazz tone on the saxophone, and then I thought ‘Jazz is a really cool thing.’ It’s really cool that you get to make your own music on the spot and explore these cool sounds that are usually frowned upon in classical music, and you can really explore yourself in a different manner that way.”
Many people have supported Benny on his jazz journey and helped him become the musician he is today.
“There’s previous All-Staters who I looked up to, there are a lot of professionals and artists who I really look up to with their sound, a lot of concerts I’ve been to,” Benny said. “[Also], there’s a lot of advice I’ve seeked out from different teachers in this area.”
Although Benny does not plan to pursue a career in music after high school, it will continue to have a presence in his life, as he aspires to join a jazz combo band in the future.
“I will not be majoring in music, but I do plan on joining a jazz combo band and keeping in touch [with music].”
It was Benny’s sophomore year of high school when he started exploring the jazz genre during his private lessons with Marble, and at that time, Benny’s strong motivation and natural ear for music allowed him to pick up the new genre quickly.
“I have been working with Noel for four years now,” Marble said. “Right from the start, I knew he had a great ear—so much so that he used it with decent success in lieu of reading music—but at that point we weren’t even working on jazz. I believe we began working on jazz his sophomore year and immediately, his ear and his drive allowed him to blossom.”
According to saxophone player junior Nicholas Brooks, Benny has unique musical talent, and he’s proud of him for making this significant accomplishment.
“I’m very proud of Noel for making the All-State Band, and I think he is very deserving of it,” Brooks said. “He is a great jazz musician who just has the feel for the music and is great at improvising. He has a great, bright tone, is one of the best jazz saxophone players I know, and he will definitely put on a great performance at state.”
