In the dimly lit basement of alum Bradley Rich (’23), six students gather their instruments to begin their weekly rehearsal. The complex rhythms and smooth jazz notes fill the room, as the student band, The Basement, begins.

Six 2023 alums make up The Basement — Eleanor Ohm on bass, Bradley Rich on drums, Arvin Kim on saxophone, Eli Ehrlich on piano and Zach White with Yutaka Yamaguchi on trumpet.

In 2018, former member Ethan Dodd (’18) expressed interest in starting a jazz combo band. With the help of band director Allison Jacobs, Dodd recruited then-Pyle students Ohm, Rich, Kim, Ehrlich, White and Yamaguchi to form the band.

As musicians of the Pyle Jazz Band at the time, they had already begun to unite in a shared passion for jazz music and the desire to learn more about dynamic “combo” music in particular. With Jacobs’ encouragement, the students eagerly agreed to join the band, which was the beginning of an unforgettable journey from there, Rich said.

The band dynamic significantly differed from the much larger Pyle Jazz Band, which forced bandmates to learn to complement each other’s playing more gracefully, Rich said.

“It was a lot of learning how to listen to each other and really get a feel for not just how to play instruments individually, but also as a group,” Rich said.

That summer before seventh grade for the Pyle students, the band spent countless hours in Rich’s basement tirelessly practicing their instruments and band dynamic. Dodd’s guidance helped the band elevate everyone’s skills and navigate a new variation of bustling jazz that they previously hadn’t interacted with. 

When Dodd graduated, the group sought out a new mentor. They landed on Rich’s drum teacher and former Whitman teacher, Chris Allen. Allen helped them book some of their first performances, including at Pyle’s International Night. They decided to start out small, just performing to “lift people’s spirits,” Rich said.

When they entered high school, the band found themselves in need of a new coach, as Allen felt it would be best to hand the coaching responsibilities over to someone who could handle a larger time commitment as the band continued to push themselves.

They settled on musician Nii Akwei Adoteye. Adoteye owns local music education program 11th Hour Music. His company produces music, provides private lessons to both students and adults in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and arranges performances from D.C. to Baltimore. 

Adoteye now helps The Basement by advising in the selection of the music they perform. He emphasizes the importance of engaging songs that do challenge the musicians, but are not so complex to discourage their enthusiasm, he said. He also guides their execution of the music while administering to the management of the band, including rehearsals and performances. Part of his job is to teach the members how to do what he does themselves.

“I give them these extra responsibilities so they can learn to operate the band rather than just participate,” Adoteye said.

Since working with Adoteye, the band has further performed at local events like Burning Tree Elementary School’s International Night and the Whitman talent show during their freshman and sophomore years. They’ve also performed at the Kids Museum in Washington, D.C. and continue to play whenever they can.

COVID for a time put a strain on the band, they said, because of the difficulty in organizing rehearsals and gigs. At one point, they organized a performance in their backyard for family and friends, which was one of Ohm’s favorite showcases, she said.

“It was just like a really fun way to hang out and play some music in a low-pressure situation,” she said.

The Basement have now graduated from Whitman, and the stresses and responsibilities of applying for college did effect the band during their final year close together, White said — but even with their heavy workload at school, the band members prioritized and organized two practices a week.

“The main challenge for us [is] to just find a time where we’re going to meet,” said White, “We’re definitely all invested.”

After four years of participating in the band, White learned the value of taking responsibility, time management and practice, he said

“There’s not enough people in the combo you can’t hide behind someone,” White said. “Everyone definitely has to know their part really well.”

Each band member has grown as a musician while improving the band overall. Adoteye is proud of the progress they’ve made since the band first began working with him.

“They play a lot more like a real band and less like a collection of musicians playing at the same time,” said Adoteye. “They have started to develop a real sense for how each other plays.”