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		Third Prize: Andrew Iser Calabasas High School Calabasas, CA The Color In My Soul Born colorblind, the first time I felt the hint of what color must be like was when I saw my father's prized black and white photograph of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. They were standing atop a balcony at a Paris hotel, being serenaded by their bands on the narrow street below. Seeing the happiness and camaraderie of the musicians in the picture somehow enabled me to sense a different dimension of music, one that I had never felt before. I had been taking lessons and playing trombone in the jazz band in middle school, but until I saw that photograph, the intangible dimension of pure musical joy, like color, had eluded me. There was something inspiring about those musicians, who seemed to be united by a chain of universal happiness that synapsed through them, beyond Ellington and Armstrong, to all musicians. Though I was constantly playing my trombone, both at school and at home, I had not found this joy in my own playing. Sometimes I wondered if my inability to see color somehow prevented me from finding the color in my musical soul. But I would soon discover that this hypothesis was way off key. In high school, my trombone playing earned me the opportunity to audition for the "Jazz 'A' Band," known unofficially as "The Ellington Band." Ellington! The name conjured up the photograph that had inspired my practicing and dedication for years. On the third day of my freshman year, when the second period bell rang, fifty musicians were running around, warming up, greasing slides, oiling valves, and starting to form three gigantic instrumental sections. As I took the last seat of the trombone section, I looked to the left, where there was empty space, and then to the right, where ten other players sat upright. I was trembling, sweating, and fidgeting; but, I was determined to play in this band, and I wasn't going to let myself be blinded by nerves! I felt that there had to be a connection and I wanted to find it. After all, this band plays Ellington's music, and that photograph of Ellington and Armstrong had long evoked the special feeling in my soul. After listening to Cotton Tail a hundred times, and playing it about a billion times, the moment for my audition came. With braces on my teeth, playing during my audition was like thumbtacks digging into my gums; but something in my heart took over. My playing was never so vibrant; I won third chair in "The Ellington Band". I had done it! When the band became a finalist in the Eighth Annual Essentially Ellington Competition, the longing in my soul grew stronger. I wanted to see what belonged there. As my band mates and I played Jump For Joy on the stage of Avery Fisher Hall, something happened. Something grew in my soul, filled my longings and allowed me to experience the joy and camaraderie which had been missing throughout my years of playing. I had joined those musicians in the streets of Paris. I will never forget my most swingin' experience, because it filled my soul with color. At last. Return to the Essentially Ellington Essay Contest		Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington 33 West 60th Street New York, NY 10023 Email: ee@jalc.org Phone: (212) 258-9812 Fax: (212) 258-9900 For general inquiries about Jazz at Lincoln Center, please click here.