The Jazz bands will perform at Jazz a la Mode, an intimate-setting concert with food and drinks in the band room from April 18 to 20, according to Mike Pote, director of Jazz Band I. Seating begins at 6:15 with desserts and the bands will begin playing at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online.

“The band room gets set up like a jazz night club, so there are little tables with seating around candlelight,” Pote said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a really nice, intimate (setting). You’re right up on top of the band, rather than being far away from them, like in a concert, so it’s a little more fun to watch the band.”

Amy Groswald, trumpet player in Jazz Band I and junior, said her favorite Jazz Band performance is Jazz a la Mode. “There are three concerts, so if you make any mistakes you can always have another chance to not make a mistake,” she said. “It’s just kind of fun, the feeling of the concert, the excitement and everything.”

Band students have been working on setting up the band room to fit this ideal image of a New York City night club. According to Pote, students are setting up colored lights to add to the atmosphere.

Along with jazz music, the program includes refreshments. Pote said, “Pies, all sorts of pies, with whipped cream, and soda and coffee will be served.”

“I like Jazz a la Mode because there’s pie,” Groswald said with a laugh.

Pote said the Jazz Bands began Jazz a la Mode about 15 years ago. “It’s one of the more popular events that we do,” he said. “This is the last major concert. Sometimes we’ll have smaller gigs where we go out to the elementary or to the middle schools, but there’s nothing scheduled yet.”

Jazz Band also has a chance of appearing on television. Although nothing is definite yet, Pote said, “There is a chance. On (April 19) we are being visited by the Rose Bowl parade president. He comes to every school that is going to be represented in the parade next year.” Though the Jazz Band does not participate in the parade itself, Pote said there is a chance that Jazz Band will perform on television to publicize the marching band’s performance in the parade.

Groswald plans on continuing Jazz Band and performing in the parade as a marching band member next year. “I love playing the trumpet, and I just want to explore everything about it,” she said. “I’m in orchestra and regular band and marching band and jazz band. My older brother was in jazz band; he was a senior, and I was a freshman, so he got me to do it. I just love to play.”

“All the bands are doing very well,” Pote said. “They’re working very hard.”

Groswald said she is feeling confident about the upcoming Jazz a la Mode performance. “I think we’re doing well. We are going to be playing four to five songs. We’ve been playing them for a couple months now, so I think we’re going to be pretty prepared.”