ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Jazz, Reno Festival 1970! Phil Hardymon & Longfellow, Berkeley CA. Complete show!

All Arrangements by Phil Hardymon

1. Aretha
2. Con Alma 3:05
3. Satin Doll 6:08
4. Watermelon Man 9:11
5. Phil Hardymon speaks - origins of the Berkeley Jazz program 13:00
6. Song for My Father/ii-V-I exercise/Christmastime is Here 16:30
(feat. Rodney Franklin & Peter Apfelbaum)
7. Sunny 23:09
8. Come Sunday/O Happy Day medley (feat. Denise Perrilliat Elliot) - 28:30
9. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy 35:30
10. Dr. Herb Wong speaks - origins of the Berkeley Jazz program 38:38

Longfellow Elementary School, Berkeley CA, @ Reno Jazz Ensembles Festival, March 1970. Directed by Phil Hardymon & Dick Whittington.

The Reno Festival was only for high school & college ensembles. But in 1970 word was spreading about the incredible ELEMENTARY SCHOOL jazz band in Berkeley! Kids grades 4-6, ages 9-11! Playing all new, original charts by Phil Hardymon! So the group was specially invited to Reno to showcase this educational breakthrough. This is the recording.

It is a great document of how the jazz program started in the Berkeley public schools, the brainchild of Dr. Herb Wong, who speaks in the last segment of the video. This maverick program was one of the first school jazz programs in the country - probably THE first in elementary school!

The performance is a testament to the masterful teaching skills of Hardymon & Whittington, as well to the kids’ own talent. And, it didn't hurt having a rhythm section with 5th-grader Rodney Franklin (keyboards/drums) & a 4th-grade Peter Apfelbaum (drums/keyboard). The arrangements are great and show why Phil Hardymon became known as one of the best jazz education composers. Many of his charts are still in use to this day.

It also is proof of what a high level music in the schools can attain when there is a FULL music program, with instruction starting in 4th grade (sadly a thing of the past now, mostly…). This bands plays so beautifully!