Nick Romy's family already has tickets for a Saturday performance of "Spamalot," the Monty Python-based Broadway musical.

But Romy and friends from Bloomington High School North will make some music themselves in New York City this weekend.

North's jazz trio of pianist Julian Bransby, bassist Romy and drummer Ben Lumsdaine was the only public high school ensemble invited to perform at the 2006 International Jazz Educators' Convention.

They will be augmented in New York by vocalist Thea Bransby                   Indiana University music student Sophie Faught
and two other celebrated young jazz players. Tenor saxophonist                practices tenor sax as a special guest with the
Sophie Faught, a freshman at Indiana University, is called                            Bloomington High School North Jazz Trio. Nick
"a rising superstar" on SaxTalk.com.                                                                            Romy, left, is on bass and Ben Lumsdaine, left,
                                                                                                                                                                    plays percussion. The third member of the trio is
                                                                                                                                                                                                  Julian Bransby, who plays piano.
Ingrid Jensen was referred to in an e-mail from North musical director                                        Jeremy Hogan | Herald-Times
Janis Stockhouse last week as "one of the most gifted hard bop
trumpeters of her generation."

Bloomington fans won't have to travel to hear the group, as it's staging a "send-off" concert at 7 tonight in North's auditorium.

IU professor Pat Harbison will sit in for Jensen. Admission is free.

The concert will feature modern works with older fare such as Thelonius Monk's "Brilliant Corners" and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You."

Original compositions by Jensen, Faught and Julian Bransby are also in the set list.

"One of the tunes I wrote specifically for the trio is 'Arguments About Hugs,'" said Bransby, who cites pianist Keith Jarrett as a primary influence. "We'll do another one that I wrote for the quintet Wide Open that we'll be able to do since we'll have trumpet and sax."

Bransby and Harbison are members of Wide Open, along with saxophonist Dennis Riggins, bassist Joel Kelsey and drummer Danny Deckard.

The group is planning a CD release this month, and will conduct an educational tour for local elementary schools.

Harbison said he's seen a lot of fine musicians come through North's program, but few with the maturity shown by this jazz trio.

"They're improvising at an amazingly high level," Harbison said before a rehearsal Friday evening. "It's easier to have kids play written music and make it sound great, but to improvise at that age, the way they do, is almost uncanny.

"They're very open. There is no arrogance, even though they're pretty extraordinary."

If you go WHO: Bloomington High School North jazz trio of pianist Julian Bransby, bassist Nick Romy and drummer Ben Lumsdaine

  WHEN: 7 tonight
  WHERE: Bloomington High School North Auditorium, 3901 N. Kinser
  Pike
  WHAT: The concert is a warm-up for the group's performance at the
  2006 International Jazz Educators' Convention in New York this
  weekend.
  HOW MUCH: Free

Julian Bransby practices piano with the
Bloomington High School North Jazz Trio.
Jeremy Hogan | Herald-Times

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