The concert follows in the tradition of the Battle of the Bands popularized by an early 20th century concert staple where two popular orchestras would try to outperform one another in front of a live audience, like the Count Basie Orchestra vs the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Likewise it brings to mind the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival held at Lincoln Center in New York, where both Garfield High School and Roosevelt High School bands have been regular participants and frequent winners. Both high schools have a lengthy association with jazz, with each school boasting several jazz ensembles that have toured both the US and overseas. The Garfield High School Jazz Band is led by Jared Sessink and the Roosevelt High School Jazz Band is led by Hannah Mowry. Both high school bands are part of a wider network of Seattle-area school and extra- curricular educational schools like the non-profit Seattle JazzED which keeps jazz alive and encourages the growth of a new generation of jazz artists. With recent cuts to Seattle Public Schools Programs in the arts, we encourage everyone to support youth jazz education in the community.