Trills of assorted jazz music float through the pavement in front of the Glass House as six musicians tap their feet along to the rhythm. Before their performance at the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Jazz Factor, a band made up of several students from the Bay Area, started a little over two years ago as an idea to play music in a group setting.

“We rehearsed basically every week at Neil’s place, and we just tried to scrap together a set list of five to six songs. So that summer, it was me, Brendan [Wong] (12), Max Lee (12) and Neil Ramaswamy (‘19), on alto sax, tenor sax, piano and drums, respectively,” founder Bryan Wang (12) said.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Eric Fang

In the future, the Jazz Factor hopes to make a resounding impact on the community around them, donating their revenue to provide instruments and music lessons to others without the opportunity.

Booking venues proved to be a difficulty, and many early performances were staged at open houses or house parties. The group eventually found themselves routinely performing, including playing in downtown Los Altos. When the band is not featuring at an event, they meet every week to hone their skills.

“During the summer, we usually practice on weekdays, at either my house or the drummer’s house, which is Ethan [Fong] (12) ,” said bass player William Rainow (12), who joined last year. “During the school year, we usually practice on weekends and during breaks, sometimes during office hours or after school.”

The band’s message of sharing music with the general public has already resonated with members of the community.

“They’re so talented, and they’re giving their time and their energy to have other people enjoy their music,” said Grace Hajjar (12), who attended the San Jose Jazz Festival. “The fact that they were out there on Saturday, playing for the public, it was really nice.”

In the future, the Jazz Factor hopes to make a resounding impact on the community around them, donating their revenue to provide instruments and music lessons to others without the opportunity.

“We’re looking to put the money to tangibly impact the community and better jazz,” Bryan said. “So whether that’s going to be in a charity or the local radio station, or to one of these school districts, the overall mission and intention is the same and that’s just to support jazz and bring jazz wherever we can.”