Laughter filled the air on Jan. 24 as the bands gathered for the 26th Annual Folsom Jazz Festival held at Folsom High School.

Tensions were low in the gym where the Jesuit High School Jazz Band rehearsed and warmed up for their performance.

“I felt confident that we would do well,” said senior Thomas Ryan, “I knew we sounded good, and all the practice had paid off.”

At 1:15 p.m., Jesuit took the stage in the main theater, blowing the crowd away with a strong brass section while the bass walked the audience through their songs.

Pouring soul into the performance, Jesuit opened up with “Street Music” by Fred Sturm. Starting with slow melodic clapping, the song slowly picked up and ended with a bang.

The piano started the second song, “In Her Family” by Patrick Metheney, then the brass section slowly joined in on the soft, slow, beautiful tune. The sound of the piano and the drum undertone mixed with the strong sound of the brass gave a calm, soothing sound.

Closing their set with Thad Jones’ “Backbone,” Jesuit left the crowd in wonder and amazement as the slow calming sound of the previous song gave way to the fast paced and dance-like sound of their final song.

“”This [was] our first year competing in the A division,” said Instrumental Music Teacher Mr. Ron Cunha, “I am very pleased with how we played. We won five soloists awards at the competition.”

All the hard work of the soloists paid off with sophomores Julien Haladus-Henke and Kevin Cendre, juniors Julien Isaiah, Kilan Thornes, Aiden Anderson, and seniors Marcus Wakefield, Ryan Kenneally, and Jon Arrow playing their instruments over soft undertones of the band during the songs. Jon, Ryan, Kevin, Kilan, and Aidan won awards for their performance during solos.

“The pure amount of talent that flowed through the stage in Folsom has the ability to inspire any individual into music,” said sophomore Julian Haladus-Henke, “The competition helped me experience great constructive criticism from the judges.”

The band received third in A Class for the competition after three inspiring songs, after receiving third in C Class the previous year. Jesuit High School’s Jazz Band performed well, leaving a legacy of greatness and inspiration for future performances.