For many high school jazz musicians, simply performing at the Charles Mingus Festival and High School Competition is an honor. For Carina Scozik (I), this year’s event took an exhilarating turn — one that placed her at the piano alongside the Charles Mingus Big Band at Joe’s Pub in New York City.
Though now an accomplished jazz pianist, Scozik’s musical roots began in a different genre. “I had [taken] classical piano lessons for about ten years before ever hearing about Big Band,” she recalls. It wasn’t until her sophomore year, when she stumbled into a rehearsal for BLS’s Jazz Standards, that she was encouraged to join. By the end of the year, she auditioned for Big Band, BLS’s most competitive jazz ensemble and quickly became a key player.
At this year’s Charles Mingus Competition, Scozik was awarded the Outstanding Soloist Award for Division I, which recognized her exceptional musicianship and improvisational skill. This distinction came with an even greater opportunity: an invitation to perform with the Mingus Big Band, a Grammy-winning ensemble dedicated to the legacy of jazz legend Charles Mingus.
The night of the performance, Scozik arrived at Joe’s Pub, a packed jazz club with tunes and a buzzing atmosphere. One of the Mingus Big Band members handed her the chord chart. With no rehearsal, no set plan and no conductor, she was forced to improvise.
“I [said to myself], ‘what is happening?’ And so, then we all just started playing, and that was fine. And then I was like, ‘I’m not sure when I’m supposed to solo, because nobody ever discussed this.’ But then they all just kind of looked at me at once. So I was like, ‘Okay, it’s my turn.’” Reflecting on the experience, Scozik admits that this “was the most terrifying thing I’ve done in my life. I’ve played at Carnegie Hall, but [this] was scarier.”
For a musician who once hesitated to join jazz, sharing a stage with some of the greatest jazz players in the world demonstrates just how far Scozik has come. The young musician concludes: “Playing with the Mingus band was terrifying but I’m really glad that I did it because it’s the coolest opportunity ever and I was at a sold out show in New York City.”