On March 3rd, 2026, the Jazz A Combo performed popular cover songs for the Calabasas students during nutrition. The band took to the lower quad’s stage only a few weeks after it finished construction. The small ensemble raises the question: if they can perform on the new stage, what else can be done with it?
Band director, Aaron Kohen, hand-picked a small group of students in Jazz Band who have especially proven themselves to be outstanding musicians and placed them into the Jazz A Band. This group meets before school to practice popular songs to perform for the students. The Combo band, being as skilled as they are, isn’t limited by jazz.
The most recent setlist had a variety of widely known songs for the crowd to enjoy. A notable choice was the soul song Superstition by Stevie Wonder.
The band has played all types of music genres. Their first performance of the year included a rock song in the setlist, Purple Rain. It seems the Prince song has had another boost of popularity amongst high school students recently. This elevation doesn’t exclude Calabasas students. The energy of the crowd was at its energetic peak during the Combo’s cover of Purple Rain.
The band’s members consist of Lucy Bollier (Singer), Dante Gostar (Pianist), Liam Kozar (Saxophone), Ray Lally (Drummer), Juno Ramirez (Bassist), Jade Redfield (Backing Vocals and Saxophone), and Elie Samouhi, renowned guitarist.
In an interview with the band’s bassist, and also a Calabasas junior, Juno Ramirez, she noted that the band had a relative amount of freedom with their performances.
“[Kohen] sets up the gigs, but we choose the sets,” said Ramirez.
Another music event that happened during a recess in school is the bucket drum circle at lunch. Mr. Kohen set up a large circle of Home Depot plastic buckets faced down in the upper quad. The buckets were to imitate an actual drum, and he placed drumsticks at each seat. The circle was open to anyone who wanted to participate, not just students in the music program.
Quickly after being set up, the seats were filled with students wanting to play. The band director led the circle, playing a rhythm on his drum, and the others followed, copying the same rhythm on their own drum. The group took turns playing each other’s grooves in a circle until it ended up back at Kohen.
The popularity of the drum circle has stuck with the school, as the connect and reflect calendar confirms that the drum circles will be continuing every Tuesday until further notice.
“The idea [to set up the drum circle] was to occupy people during lunch to give them something to do other than their phones… But then also to let kids who are not in the music program get a little taste, potentially to recruit kids for a few years,” says Kohen. He also confirms that the circle worked, saying that he’s seen students not in music doing the circle.
The Jazz A combo will continue to gig, as noted on the CHS music calendar, and the drum circles will happen every Tuesday during lunch for the rest of the year.
