The library at Nettle Middle School is usually a quiet sanctuary for studying and reading where noisy meddlers get shushed into silence.
But two weeks ago, it was anything but quiet.
The library was transformed into a boisterous, musical hot spot worthy of Duke Ellington, John Coltrane or Billie Holiday.
It may not have been New York City's Cotton Club or New Orleans' French Quarter, but jazz music was pulsing from the Nettle School on Friday, April 11.
Jazz Night featured the All-City student jazz band and the Lynne Lynch and the Classics jazz ensemble, a musical group made up of Haverhill teachers and administrators.
One side of the library was even converted into a cafe, where guests could dine on cheese, crackers, hommus and other goodies.
In addition to the snacks, Jazz night was a treat for music fans, friends and family members in attendance.
Jazz music had a long, illustrious history before being featured at Nettle's Jazz Night.
It is truly an American art, growing from African American communities in the Southern United States at the beginning of the 20th century to a mainstream musical movement. Marching bands, ragtime, the blues and other folk traditions are often regarded as the inspiration for the origin of Jazz.
Jazz styles spawned dance crazes and influenced countless numbers of musicians as it evolved. It was the soundtrack to the Roaring 20's and Prohibition, as jazz music livened up speakeasies and dance halls.
Jazz was sometimes seen as immoral by older generations when it first took off in the 1920s, but today's younger generations don't have to worry: Jazz is taught all over the world as an important part of musical training.
Elements in jazz challenge music students, like its strong, prominent meter, distinctive tones, improvisation, syncopated rhythm patterns and lively performances. At Haverhill's Jazz Night, students and teachers got to showcase their mastery of the art form and the tunes certainly did not disappoint.
INFO BOXES
Some different styles/subgenres of jazz music:
r Big band swing
r Dixieland
r Bebop
r Latin jazz
r Soul jazz
r Jazz fusion
Some famous jazz musicians through history:
r Louis Armstrong (born in 1901, died in 1971)
r Miles Davis (1926-1991)
r Charlie Parker (1920-1955)
r Billie Holiday (1915-1959)
r Duke Ellington (1899-1974)
r Benny Goodman (1909-1986)
r John Coltrane (1926-1967)
r Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993)
r Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996)
Source: PBS.org
