Ten years can be a long time to sustain a jazz orchestra based on a shifting tide of young musicians who come and go for various reasons associated with their academic programmes — but that would be without Wendell (Shine) Hayward at the helm.

A talented professional musician in his own right, in 1998 Mr. Hayward was teaching at Warwick Academy, a private school which had the best high school music programme, of which its jazz band was a part. Wouldn't it be great, he thought, if the jazz band could expand its ranks to include students from the Island's public schools, and become a national jazz band.

Ironically, two other men — Dr. Melvyn Bassett, then principal of Sandys Secondary School, and now minister of Community Affairs and Social Rehabilitation Dale Butler — were also thinking along the same lines, so they did some recruiting, pulling in students whom Mr. Hayward knew personally, and combining them with various teachers. Thus was born the Bermuda National Youth Jazz Ensemble (BNYJE). Rehearsals were held weekly, and its first public performance was at the opening ceremony of a David Lambert tennis classic on the courts of Coral Beach.

Over the years, the instrumental line-up has included flautists, violinists, rhythm section players and horns, including brass and woodwind, as participants have changed.

In terms of the BNYJE's proud, decade-long history, the road has mostly led upward and onward, with many exciting landmarks along the way, among them participation in the Bermuda Jazz Festival, harbour nights, concerts in the park, public functions and private parties — all gigs which many professional musicians also fulfil, as well as benefit events. Its annual summer concerts, held in recent years in the outdoor amphitheatre of the Sandys Secondary Middle School, have featured overseas guests artists in the line-up, as well as seasoned local musicians.

Over the years, Mr. Hayward has also been instrumental in arranging for the BNYJE to attend various summer jazz camps and workshops in the US and Canada, among them Jamie Aebersold's in Louisville, Kentucky, and trombonist Hugh Fraser's in Canada.

"We've been to Jamie's and Hugh's camps several times. Jamie is the ultimate jazz instructor, and his annual camp attracts some of the finest amateur and professional musicians," Mr. Hayward notes. "Hugh Fraser is a wonderful jazz artist, and we had him come down two years ago. Last year, we attended William Patterson's camp in New Jersey for the first time, which is where we met student bass player and singer Nalani Clisset, who is with us this week."

The group also went to Cuba, and performed at the twinning ceremony of Lyme Regis in Dorset, England, where Sir George Somers lies buried.

"It has been really good for me seeing these guys blossom, some even really frighteningly well, and their natural ability coming out," Mr. Hayward says. "Some of the students have actually gone on to make music their careers, while others still regard it as something to do on the side. As a music teacher you want them all to be musicians or music teachers, but the appreciation which the discipline of studying music presents enables them to be that much sharper in the areas of whatever profession or career they choose," Mr. Hayward says.

The fact that the BNYJE is comprised mainly of students means that its make-up, and the combination of instruments, is ever-changing. While this is potentially discouraging, particularly when a group is really 'cooking', experience has taught its dedicated director to simply roll with the punches.

"I have learned that you can't get caught up in the people you have at the moment. To avoid that, every year has to be a recruiting year. If it is not, then you are going to find yourself in the predicament of everybody gone at one time."

To mark the Ensemble's tenth anniversary, Mr. Hayward has finally fulfilled his ambition to hold a jazz camp in Bermuda for the first time. Now in progress at the new Berkeley Institute, the workshops will continue through Friday, and are open to all musicians, amateur and professional, and at whatever level of proficiency. The workshops take place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. nightly, and the instructors are John Woolridge (theory/keyboards), Tootsie Bean Sr. and Jr. (percussion), Earl Hooks (bass), Granville Odem (vocals), and Steve Himmelstein (guitar), Eddie Ming (percussion), David Pearman (piano and theory) and Shine Hayward himself (theory/overall supervisor).

"This is an opportunity to experience what we have experienced abroad right here in Bermuda, and as we look forward we hope to feature international teachers and performers in the future," Mr. Hayward says.

A special anniversary concert on Saturday evening at the Ruth Seaton James Centre for the Performing will feature ensembles from the various workshops. Curtain time is 7.30 p.m., and tickets ($40) are available either by calling 292-7356 or 536-0366, from Shine's Music on St. John's Road, or at the new Berkeley Institute while the workshops are in progress. For further information on the workshops, also call these numbers.

Like so many organisations, the BNYJE depends on the generosity of donors and sponsors for financial assistance, and in this regard Mr. Hayward pays tribute to the Ross (Blackie) Talbot Foundation for its unswerving support from the outset, and also the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Social Rehabilitation, the Bermuda Arts Council, and the Ministry of Education for their support this year.

On behalf of the Foundation, of which he is a trustee and chairman, Mr. Clement Talbot stepped in this week with a $5000 donation when other sponsorship fell through.

"Shine is doing a fantastic job, and you can see the development of future generations through their association with the Bermuda National Youth Jazz Ensemble. The members develop discipline, their talent, and the finer points of being budding musicians and entertainers," he says. "My father (one of the famous Talbot Brothers) was always very disappointed that there were not more Bermudian musicians going forward, and he and Shine had a special relationship. Over the past six years we have donated more than $30,000 to the Ensemble."

Meanwhile, some past and present members of the BNYJE had this to say about their association with the jazz group:

Justin Brangman is a 21-year-old piano, alto and tenor sax player, who comes from a musical family. In fact, his grandmother was Mr. Hayward's music teacher. He first studied the clarinet at Warwick Academy, but was transitioned to the alto saxophone by his teacher, Kent Hayward, to fill that void in the school's concert band. Mr. Hayward's invitation to join the BNYJE soon followed, and he was with the band for five years. During that time he attended the camps in Kentucky, Cuba and New Jersey, where he found the instruction "intense" from morning 'til night, but learned "a lot". Today, Justin is a third-year student of business economics at Toronto's York University, where he occasionally jams with fellow students. Home for the summer, he works from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but always makes time to practice. Some day he would like to have his own band.

Gianluca Gibbons is a 17-year-old alto saxophonist who joined the Ensemble approximately six years ago. Previously, he had taken private lessons with Mr. Hayward. He likes jazz because it is freer than other music forms, which suits his personality and the way he plays. He particularly enjoys improvisation because, by definition, the music is always changing, and therefore new and different. Visiting Cuba with the jazz band was "an eye-opener" both culturally, and in terms of how the local musicians played, and were more disciplined. If he could, he would like to be a gospel musician combining jazz and religious music. Mr. Gibbons grew up in a musical family. His father played the saxophone, his mother and sister Meliseanna the piano.

Meliseanna Gibbons, aged 20, played the piano and clarinet prior to joining the BNYJE, but then switched to the tenor sax. She had never played jazz before, but finds the genre "relaxing" and says it has "personality". It is also the only music to which she can listen while simultaneously studying pre-med psychology and biology preparatory to becoming a doctor. Miss Gibbons enjoys the camaraderie among her fellow musicians, and the fact that they are so supportive of one another. She also appreciates the way Mr. Hayward pushes her to do things she didn't think she could do, and moves her ahead to do better.

Nalani Clisset is an 18-year-old bass player and singer from Colorado who first met and made friends with members of the BNYJE at the William Patterson music camp in New Jersey. They told her all about Bermuda, and Cup Match, and urged her to visit. Later, she recognised Mr. Hayward at a National Association of Music Merchandisers convention in Anaheim, California, and the two spent time chatting about music and musicians they knew, and she learned about his school. Her spontaneous visit to Bermuda this week arose out of discussions between Mr. Hayward and Justin Brangman about who to bring in as a guest artist for this weekend's BNYJE concert. Justin mentioned Miss Clisset's name, and she received the invitation while recording with a jazz band in another state. Nonetheless she had no hesitation in saying 'yes', and says Bermuda's beauty has blown her away, particularly the colour of the ocean. "It is heart-stopping here," she says. Of Mr. Hayward, the visitor says she didn't realise until she got here just how important he is in the local community, and marvels that "he has touched so many lives". Nalani will be joining the BNYJE for Saturday night's performance.