Garfield High School Jazz is one of the truly outstanding high school jazz programs anywhere in the world.  There are three bands in the program.  Bands I and II are directed by Clarence Acox.  Band III is directed by Jay Thomas with assistance from Scott Lytle.

Garfield Jazz Milestones
Ernestine Anderson. Quincy Jones. Jimi Hendrix. The place is full of music. Who knows what greats are yet to share their musical talents with us in years to come?

Garfield High School is a public high school in Seattle, WA, with students from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds. Garfield’s jazz culture is so strong that it maintains multiple levels of jazz bands in its curriculum for over 75 students. Under the leadership of Clarence Acox (now in his 41st year as a music educator), Garfield continues to bring to young people the jazz traditions of such big bands as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Woody Herman.

Jazz Ensemble I is the top jazz band in this program. The group has won every major competition on the west coast of the United States, including the Reno Jazz Festival, Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival (named Outstanding Festival Band nine times) and Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. Jazz Ensembles II and III have also competed successfully in events around in the Northwest. 

Garfield is a frequent participant in the Essentially Ellington National Jazz Band Competition and Festival at Lincoln Center in New York City, the most prestigious high school jazz competition in the United States. Since 1999, Garfield has been selected as one of the 15 Essentially Ellington finalists eleven times, including an unprecedented four first-place trophies (in 2003, 2004, 2009 and 2010), as well as second place finishes in 2002 and 2008 and third place in 2006; you can watch their performance in the 2009 Final Concert of the competition here. In May 2003, the Garfield Jazz Ensemble made a national TV appearance, with Wynton Marsalis, on NBC’s Today Show.

Graduates of the Garfield Jazz program have gone on to study at leading music schools throughout the country, such as the Berklee College of Music, The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, The New England Conservatory of Music, USC Thornton School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Cornish College of the Arts.
2012

May: Garfield Jazz Annual Gala

Garfield Jazz Foundation celebrates and honors Clarence Acox for his 40 years of service as a music educator at Garfield High School.

May: Bellevue High School Jazz Festival

Jazz Bands II and III each win their respective division, and Band II claims the Festival's Sweepstakes Award for best band overall. Alice-Mar Abe is recognized as the outstanding piano soloist.

April: Reno Jazz Festival

Band I takes second place, and Band II wins first place, in their respective divisions. Combo I and Combo II receive first and fourth place awards, respectively, in the AAA High School Division; Combo I is chosen to perform on the Mainstage. Taizo Curry is named named best performer on bass trombone, and Julian Garvue (piano/trumpet) is named best overall soloist. In addition, Derek Gamlam (piano) and Cameron Vohr (tenor sax) are selected to perform with the Reno Jazz Festival All-Star Band. No less than ten musicians from Bands I and II receive Outstanding Musicianship awards.

February: Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival

Band I is selected to play in the Saturday evening Young Artists Concert, and Band II receives an Honorable Mention award in its division. Julian Garvue (piano) and Cameron Vohr (tenor sax) are named as Outstanding Young Performers and perform in Hamp's Club. 

February: Bellevue College Big Band Jazz Festival

Band 1 is named a finalist in its division. Homer Aalfs wins Outstanding Saxophone Soloist honors.

February: Viking Jazz Festival

Band 2 takes second place and Band 3 wins first place in their respective divisions. Outstanding soloist awards go to Derek Billey (saxophone) and Alice Mar-Abe (piano) from Band 2 and Janak Preston (percussion) from Band III.

January: Clark College Jazz Festival

Band I receives the first place award in the AAAA Division. Cameron Vohr (saxophone) takes one of the two Outstanding Musician awards bestowed at the entire festival.

2010

May: Essentially Ellington Competition, New York City

Garfield wins first place overall.

2009

May: Essentially Ellington Competition, New York City

Garfield wins first place overall.
2008

May: Essentially Ellington Competition, New York City

Garfield wins second place overall. The brass and woodwinds receive Outstanding Sections awards. Carl Majeau receives the first Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist award ever given. Soloist awards are granted to Ben Hamaji on piano, Zubin Hensler on trumpet, Jake Linde on trombone, and Riley Mulherkar on trumpet.

April: Reno Jazz Festival

Jazz Ensemble II comes second in the Apprentice Bands for their division. The combos fielded by Garfield win first and second place. Zubin Hensler again receives a soloist award for trumpet.

March: Lifetime Achievement Award to Quincy Jones

In this star-studded tribute, Ensemble I opens an evening of music celebrating Garfield alumni Quincy Jones' career. Carlos Santana and several other national recording artists produced by Quincy play.

February: Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival

Jazz Ensemble II wins the Adjudicator's Choice, or first prize in their division. Ensemble I wins a Adjudicator's Commendaton. Zubin Hensler receives a soloist award for trumpet.

February: Bellveue Big Band Jazz Festival

Jazz Ensemble I wins second place. Zubin Hensler, Carl Majeau and Robert Struthers receives awards as outstanding soloists.

February: Clark College Jazz Festival

Jazz Ensemble I secures second place in the AAAA division. Carl Majeau receives a soloist award.

2007

October: Earshot Jazz Festival

Garfield Jazz Ensemble I performed with the multi-talented Houston Person at the Triple Door. Mr. Person salutes the band with a rendition of "What A Wonderful World".

July: Southern European tour

Like latter-day Visigoths, Jazz Ensemble I swept through southern Europe, opening Montreux Jazz Festival and closing Umbria Jazz Festival. On the way, the band performed in Innsbruck, Austria and Florence, Italy. Emboldened by their earnings while busking in Perugia, they sacked Rome before returning to Seattle.

May: New York City

The band appears on New York's Channel 11 news with Wynton Marsalis before the Essentially Ellington competition. Soloist awards received by received by Carl Majeau (clarinet), John Cheadle (alto sax), Devin Mooers (tenor sax), Joel Gombiner (tenor sax) and Ben Hamaji (piano).

2006

May: New York City

Garfield secures third place in the Essentially Ellington competition.

October: Earshot Jazz Festival

Garfield Jazz Ensemble I performed with David "Fathead" Newman at the Triple Door.

2005
2004

May: New York City

Paul de Barros of the Seattle Times wrote:
"Hitting a solid groove that would have made Duke Ellington himself smile, the Garfield High School Jazz Band clinched its second consecutive triumph at the Essentially Ellington Competion and Festival last night".

2003

May: New York City

Garfield wins the Essentially Ellington competition.

2002

May: New York City

Garfield secures second place in the Essentially Ellington competition.

2000

May: New York City

Garfield receives an honorable mention in the Essentially Ellington competition.

1999

May: New York City

Garfield receives an honorable mention in the Essentially Ellington competition. The stage is set for things to come.