Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, April 07, 2005

Mount Ayr Community high school's Raider jazz band participated in Class 2A of the Iowa Jazz Championships in Des Moines Tuesday but did not place in the top eight announced at the end of the preliminary competition.

The Raider band competed with 14 other bands in the Class 2A competition which was held at the Polk County Convention Complex.

Other bands in the compeition with the MAC group included North Polk, Roland Story, Prairie Valley, Fort Dodge St. Edmonds, Mid Prairie, West Branch, Solon, Clarinda, Center-Point Urbana, Monticello, Eddyville-Blackesburg, Okoboji, South O'Brien and Woodard-Granger.

The Raider jazz band qualified for the championships after a good season of competition.

The group has also received a division I rating at the state contest and first place finishes in the Steve Lawson Jazz Festival in Harlan as well as the Bluffs Jazz Festival in Council Bluffs. they placed second in the Dick Bauman Southwest Jazz Festival in Council Bluffs and fourth place at the Woodward-Granger Jazz Festival.

A number of outstanding soloist awards have been picked up by band members along the way as well.

For the competition, the Raider band has changed one of the songs in its program. It played "Outback Blues," the ballad "Round Midnight" featuring saxophonist Wesley KLEJCH, and "Grenada Smoothie."

Members of the Raider jazz band include:

Saxophones -- Chelsea CAMPBELL, Wesley KLEJCH, Garrett STORHOFF, Zach LYNCH, Amanda ROTERT, Kelsey GEIST and Neely MALCOM.

Trumpets -- Scott CLARK, Dustin LARSEN, Amanda HYNK, Alex ROTERT, Kelsey MEESTER and Brittany ADAMS.

Trombones -- Grant LARSEN, Lucas SMITH, Chris KING, Brandon WerNER and James WALKUP.

Piano -- Wendell RAY.

Trap set -- Kirk FORD.

Bass -- Alexis JOHNSON.

Vibes -- Matt HYMBAUGH.

Auxiliary percussion -- Matt JONES and Tyler HINZ.

Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, November of 2012