El Cerrito Heat

El Cerrito High School Jazz Pop Ensemble: Celebrate
From Jazz at El Cerrito [Independent Release, 1977]

I lived in El Cerrito, CA for two years and probably the most exciting thing there was a recently opened Trader Joe's and a small record store that I used to visit from time to time. El Cerrito, in general, is not a very exciting town, especially since it lies on the outskirts of the always interesting Berkeley. I did however manage to find an old El Cerrito High School band record from 1977 that my stepdad had stashed away in his collection. He happens to be a jazz drummer and used to be a high school band leader/teacher, so his collection, while a bit soft at times, has provided some mild heat.

I was curious about this record simply because I know good high school band records are quite scarce and have become more in demand ever since DJ Shadow's Schoolhouse Funk compilation. One side is devoted to the Jazz Band while the other the Pop Vocal Ensenble, and all-in-all the record is consistently upbeat and funky at times. For me, the real face melter comes from the Ensemble's side with the track "Celebrate" which features the hardest drums on the entire record and solid female vocals, so I wasn't surprised to see it on the second installment of Schoolhouse Funk. My copy's in the mail, but supposedly this volume is a lot better than its predecessor not only in the quality of the tracks, but in the scarcity of some of Shadow's source material. And you best believe this El Cerrito High School record I have is going to be fetching some cheddar from now on.