Strike up the band

Want to hear some great music?

Take those iPod ear buds out for a minute and tune in to the sounds of the Agoura High School music program.

The school's jazz bands are the talk of the town. The Studio Jazz Band and the Jazz A Band were both named among the top 15 high school bands in the United States and Canada at the Essentially Ellington jazz competition earlier this month in New York City.

It's the first time in the 12-year history of the prestigious competition that two bands from the same high school made the final cut. At the end of the judging, the Studio Jazz Band finished second overall. Never has anyone been able to say with such glee, "We're No. 2." It's still quite an accomplishment for these young musicians. Eighty-eight bands entered the competition by submitting a recording of three Duke Ellington works. Fifteen bands were invited to perform in New York and Agoura High was bested only by Roosevelt High School of Seattle.

The students who play sports in high school tend to garner so many of the accolades that it's refreshing to see a group of musicians in the spotlight for a change. If music is the language of the soul, the students under the leadership of teachers John Mosley and Chad Bloom are a rich group indeed.

Consider this: Athletics are about winning and losing on the scorecard; music is judged by shades of nuance. It's a subjective thing, and to be named second in all of North America by a panel of distinguished jazz musicians and historians is a phenomenal feat. The great Wynton Marsalis was one of the main judges. We wish we could have been there as the players ran through their paces on the Lincoln Center stage. The atmosphere, we're told, was electric.

Can you hear the high notes? The syncopated rhythm between the horns and the piano?

We can, and to the cool jazz players of Agoura High School we say congratulations. They're winners, all.