Ciara Connolly ’17 was relatively new to the art of drumming when she arrived at Taft as a lower mid.
“I started playing drums in sixth grade, when a lot of schools first have students choose an instrument. I chose drums,” Ciara says, “and so did about 20 other kids. By the time I got to eighth grade, there were only two drummers left, and my playing had evolved from a pad, to a snare, to a full kit.”
Today, Ciara is a highly regarded and versatile drummer at Taft. She plays in the jazz ensemble, is in the orchestra pit at many of Taft’s shows, and travels whenever and wherever the beat takes her, which on Sunday afternoons, is Columbus Circle in New York City: Ciara is a member of the prestigious Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) Youth Orchestra.
As a lower mid, Ciara traveled with Taft musicians to Portugal. It was there that her passion for jazz was first ignited.
“The students at the Lisbon Music School are just insanely talented—super tight.” Ciara says. “Their music was hugely influenced by Miles Davis; that made an impact on me. Later, at a jazz club, there was a band playing called the Wild Bunch. I was so amazed by their drummer—he was fantastic and inspirational. I bought their CD because I wanted to replicate his sound. I had played all kinds of music before, but decided then that I wanted to move deeper into jazz.”
And opportunity followed. In the spring of her mid year, Ciara traveled to Memphis and New Orleans with Taft’s Jazz Ensemble. The group visited venues like Preservation Hall, a well-known spot in the French Quarter dedicated to preserving Traditional New Orleans Jazz. Music teacher T.J. Thompson also arranged for them to play a variety of popular and historic music venues, including Buffa’s.
“We had been playing “Sing, Sing, Sing” throughout our tour,” said Ciara. “It’s such a classic. That night at Buffa’s everything came together; I felt it was the best I had played it.”
Buffa’s owner agreed: She offered Ciara a scholarship to a Traditional Jazz camp in New Orleans.
Says Ciara: “It is really a camp for adults—people older than myself just doing what they love.”
At the camp Ciara worked and played with drummer Gerald French, leader of the famed Tuxedo Jazz Band. In its more than 100-year history, the band has only had five leaders; French took the helm in 2011. It was the first jazz band to play at the White House in 1953, and produced some of the best-known musicians of the past century, including Bob French, Octave Crosby, and Louis Armstrong. The camp also got her on stage at Preservation Hall.
Ciara left for Memphis and New Orleans the same day she auditioned for the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra. The rest, as they say, is history. Each Sunday she spends one hour in “jazz language” classes, followed by three hours of rehearsal—two with her big band group, one with combo. Ciara, along with the other members of her JALC Specialized Big Band ensemble, recently took top honors in the 8th Annual Charles Mingus Competition.
“One of the staples of Mingus’s music is abrupt changes in feel, style, and meter,” notes Ciara. “We really built on that in our performance of “Moanin’”—we flowed in and out of mambo and jazz in a kind of a different and exciting way. I think it embodied all that Mingus tried to do in all of his arrangements, and that the judges felt that was a really pleasant surprise.”
Mingus is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century American music; his legacy is showcased each year during the three-day festival. Mingus’s widow, Sue, co-produces the annual high school competition at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM).
“Jazz bands from all over the country submit recorded auditions,” Ciara explains. “Those auditions are used to make the first round of cuts. Only three or four groups in each of the four categories are actually called to MSM to compete.”
Ciara’s JALC ensembles were invited to compete as finalists in both the Specialized Big Band and Specialized Combo categories, where they placed first and second, respectively. The festival included rehearsal time, jam sessions, films, and a performance by Mingus Dynasty, a jazz ensemble made up of Mingus’s one-time band mates, colleagues, and contemporaries. Ciara also participated in a clinic with Mingus Dynasty drummer Adam Cruz.
“It was an amazing experience; he’s just incredible. That is how I want my music to sound,” says Ciara.
And it is that—that finding inspiration and working to fulfill it—that has driven Ciara to the top of her game.
“All of these opportunities have been about learning. The camp in New Orleans, the Berkelee summer program, JALC—it has all been about working with these amazing, inspiring people who give me so much direction and so much to work on. For me, that’s what its all about.”