At the conclusion of the week-long educational program, Stamm, other guest artists and the students will perform for the community. The artists will play at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10 and the students will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug 11, in the Fay Spanos Concert Hall on the Pacific campus.
“This year we will have 18 of the top high school-aged musicians in the nation studying jazz under the guidance of Pacific's talented faculty and guest stars such as Marvin Stamm," said Steve Anderson, director of the Brubeck Institute. “By giving these students the chance to work one-on-one with musicians who have years of performing and recording experience, they will gain a better understanding of jazz as an art form and of what life is like as a working musician."
Marvin Stamm has had an extraordinary career. He joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as a trumpet soloist and recorded five albums with the orchestra after graduating from North Texas State University. He has also toured with Woody Herman, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, the Duke Pearson Big Band, Frank Sinatra and the Benny Goodman Sextet. In the studio, he has recorded with Bill Evans, Quincy Jones, Thad Jones, Wes Montgomery, Freddie Hubbard, Lena Horne, Paul Desmond, George Benson, and many others. Currently, Stamm is performing as a soloist, touring with his jazz quartet or performing with pianist Bill Mays. His latest album is “The Stamm/Soph Project - Live at Birdland," released in 2005.
Other artists who will participate in the colony are:
- Joe Gilman: jazz pianist, artistic director of the Colony, and professor at American River College
- Madeline Eastman: a San Francisco singer who has released five CDs on her own Mad-Kat Records label
- Essiet Okon Essiet: he first received critical acclaim as a member of saxophonist Bobby Watson's post hard bop group, Horizon, and has since established himself as one of New York's premier bassists
- Steve Homan: a professional jazz guitarist for more than 30 years
- Brian Kendrick: a drummer who has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe in both jazz and orchestral settings with renowned artists such as Henry Mancini, Sarah Vaughn, and Ernie Watts
- Patrick Langham: a saxophone player and director of jazz studies at Pacific's Conservatory of Music
- Bart Marantz: director of jazz studies at the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and author of numerous books and articles on jazz
- Paul McKee: a trombone player who is a member of Woody Herman's Thundering Herd
- Frank Morgan: a saxophone player who has performed with Josephine Baker, Billie Holiday, Teddy Charles and Wynton Marsalis
- Ed Soph: an internationally recognized author and drummer who has performed with Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Bill Watrous, and Clark Terry
Though all of the students are teenagers, some of them have already started to build a reputation for excellence in jazz. Most of the students have been invited to play at some of the most well-known jazz festivals in the country, have played with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Dave Brubeck and Phil Lesh, and many have won numerous DownBeat awards.
Tickets for the Friday show featuring the guest artists are $10 for general admission, $5 for seniors & students. For the Saturday show featuring the students, they are $8 for general admission, $4 for seniors & students. Tickets will be available at the Faye Spanos Concert Hall Box Office 45 minutes before each show. There are no advance sales. For information call 209.946.3196
For more information contact All About Jazz.
