School Of Jazz

They planned it out and executed flawlessly. The teens of drummer Elijah Baradi's Quintet were well prepared for their KNKX School of Jazz studio session. Unlike most groups of a high school age, this talented group from Interlake High in Bellevue played live on 88.5 without an adult mentor. They didn't need one. Drumming since age 6, Baradi drives a strong rhythm section. The sophomore teams with seniors Mert Selcuk on piano and Kai Wagner at the upright bass, an instrument this electric bass player only recently picked up. Kai's brother Kenji forms the "brass section" on trombone and trumpet, with fellow sophomore Ishaan Ghose on tenor sax. Both horn players held nothing back, blowing rapid-fire solos that only caffeinated 16-year-olds can manage. As Ghose explained, the band put a lot of thought into their session setlist. Start with a standard everyone knows to get the audience hooked. Then slow the room down with a meditative groover, and finish with an uptempo "banger" to bring