MJF's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra On Tour From Kansas City To Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, July 5 - 15, 2009
NGJO Features Country's Top Jazz Musicians From Arizona, California, Connecticut, New York, Oregon, And Pennsylvania
All-Star Band To Perform On KC/DC Tour In Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, And Washington, D.C.
May 19, 2009, Monterey, CA; The Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to announce the Next Generation Jazz Orchestras KC/DC Tour, a ten-day, eight-performance sojourn from Kansas City to the District of Columbia. Embarking on the annual summer tour on July 5, the NGJO will perform at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri (July 7-8); Jazz at the Bistro in St. Louis, Missouri (July 9); The Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Illinois (July 10); the WASBE Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio (July 11); The James Gallery (presented by the Manchester Craftsmans Guild) and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (July 13-14); and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (July 15).
A three-year grant from the Surdna Foundation supports the Next Generation Festival and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra's U.S. and international tours. The Surdna Foundations Arts Program is national in scope and supports the artistic advancement of teens, ages 12 - 18.
The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (formerly known as the MJF High School All-Star Big Band from 1971 - 2004) nurtures the future generation of jazz stars through a program that selects the best and brightest high school jazz musicians in the country.
The group will appear in jazz clubs, a music education convention, an art gallery and academic institutions in the heartland of the United States, with a final appearance on the Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage in the nations capital. Their tenure in the band will culminate at the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon on September 20th on the Arena/Jimmy Lyons Stage, where they will appear with trumpeter and 2009 MJF Artist-In-Residence Wynton Marsalis.
The twenty-two member jazz orchestra features musicians selected from thirteen high schools in six Western and East Coast states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
There are five returning members of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra: trombonists John Egizi and Emmanuel Rojas; bassist Mike Gurrola, all from the greater Los Angeles region; drummer Jimmy Macbride from West Hartford, Connecticut; and trumpeter Nick Frenay from the Syracuse, New York area.
New members for 2009 include musicians from Portland, Oregon (Nicole Glover, Kyle Molitor, Andrew Olson and Patrick Sargent); Glendale, Arizona (Zachary Gillespie, Paul-Eirik Melhus and Cody Rowlands); Los Angeles (Sam Miller, Adam Moezinia and Max Zooi); San Jose, California (Gregory Chen), Pittsburgh and Reading, Pennsylvania (Ben Benack III and Joshua Gawel); Tucson, Arizona (Christopher Kennedy); Davis, California (Jon Hatamiya); and Dobbs Ferry, New York (vocalist Ben Lusher).
Bios of this elite group of hand-picked musicians from across the country can be read here.
Under the direction of Mr. Paul Contos, the renowned saxophonist and flautist who serves on the faculty of California State University Monterey Bay in the Music and Performing Arts Department, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra is dedicated to the study and performance of the most challenging big band literature available.
“The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra for 2009 will once again feature the most advanced high school jazz musicians in the country. Theyll be performing difficult repertoire -- carefully crafted arrangements and compositions specifically written for jazz orchestra, said Mr. Contos. These players already have reputations as highly skilled and prominent voices for the future.
Previous incarnations of the band have appeared at the Hilton in Paris, France; Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City; the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands; the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, the Montreal Jazz Festival in Quebec, Canada; the International Music Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia; and many others. Each year since 1971, the band has appeared on the Arena/Jimmy Lyons stage of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Making an exclusive return to U.S. soil in 2009, the band will also record at the Manchester Craftsmans Guild in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 12, 2009.
2009 Next Generation Jazz Orchestras KC/DC Tour Dates
July 07: Kansas City, Missouri: American Jazz Museum
July 08: Kansas City, Missouri: American Jazz Museum
July 09: St. Louis, Missouri: Jazz at the Bistro
July 10: Chicago, Illinois: The Jazz Showcase
July 11: Cincinnati, Ohio: U. of Cincinnati: World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference
July 13: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The James Gallery, presented by the Manchester Craftsmans Guild
July 14: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Duquesne University, Instrumental Jazz Workshop
July 15: Washington D.C.: Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
The Monterey Jazz Festival is dedicated to perpetuating the uniquely American form of music known as jazz by producing performances that celebrate the legacy and expand the boundaries of jazz; and by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international jazz education programs. The Monterey Jazz Festival is a nonprofit organization and has donated its proceeds to musical education since its inception in 1958.
NGJO Features Country's Top Jazz Musicians From Arizona, California, Connecticut, New York, Oregon, And Pennsylvania
All-Star Band To Perform On KC/DC Tour In Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, And Washington, D.C.
May 19, 2009, Monterey, CA; The Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to announce the Next Generation Jazz Orchestras KC/DC Tour, a ten-day, eight-performance sojourn from Kansas City to the District of Columbia. Embarking on the annual summer tour on July 5, the NGJO will perform at the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri (July 7-8); Jazz at the Bistro in St. Louis, Missouri (July 9); The Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Illinois (July 10); the WASBE Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio (July 11); The James Gallery (presented by the Manchester Craftsmans Guild) and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (July 13-14); and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (July 15).
A three-year grant from the Surdna Foundation supports the Next Generation Festival and the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra's U.S. and international tours. The Surdna Foundations Arts Program is national in scope and supports the artistic advancement of teens, ages 12 - 18.
The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra (formerly known as the MJF High School All-Star Big Band from 1971 - 2004) nurtures the future generation of jazz stars through a program that selects the best and brightest high school jazz musicians in the country.
The group will appear in jazz clubs, a music education convention, an art gallery and academic institutions in the heartland of the United States, with a final appearance on the Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage in the nations capital. Their tenure in the band will culminate at the 52nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon on September 20th on the Arena/Jimmy Lyons Stage, where they will appear with trumpeter and 2009 MJF Artist-In-Residence Wynton Marsalis.
The twenty-two member jazz orchestra features musicians selected from thirteen high schools in six Western and East Coast states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, New York, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
There are five returning members of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra: trombonists John Egizi and Emmanuel Rojas; bassist Mike Gurrola, all from the greater Los Angeles region; drummer Jimmy Macbride from West Hartford, Connecticut; and trumpeter Nick Frenay from the Syracuse, New York area.
New members for 2009 include musicians from Portland, Oregon (Nicole Glover, Kyle Molitor, Andrew Olson and Patrick Sargent); Glendale, Arizona (Zachary Gillespie, Paul-Eirik Melhus and Cody Rowlands); Los Angeles (Sam Miller, Adam Moezinia and Max Zooi); San Jose, California (Gregory Chen), Pittsburgh and Reading, Pennsylvania (Ben Benack III and Joshua Gawel); Tucson, Arizona (Christopher Kennedy); Davis, California (Jon Hatamiya); and Dobbs Ferry, New York (vocalist Ben Lusher).
Bios of this elite group of hand-picked musicians from across the country can be read here.
Under the direction of Mr. Paul Contos, the renowned saxophonist and flautist who serves on the faculty of California State University Monterey Bay in the Music and Performing Arts Department, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra is dedicated to the study and performance of the most challenging big band literature available.
“The Next Generation Jazz Orchestra for 2009 will once again feature the most advanced high school jazz musicians in the country. Theyll be performing difficult repertoire -- carefully crafted arrangements and compositions specifically written for jazz orchestra, said Mr. Contos. These players already have reputations as highly skilled and prominent voices for the future.
Previous incarnations of the band have appeared at the Hilton in Paris, France; Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City; the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands; the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, the Montreal Jazz Festival in Quebec, Canada; the International Music Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia; and many others. Each year since 1971, the band has appeared on the Arena/Jimmy Lyons stage of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Making an exclusive return to U.S. soil in 2009, the band will also record at the Manchester Craftsmans Guild in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on July 12, 2009.
2009 Next Generation Jazz Orchestras KC/DC Tour Dates
July 07: Kansas City, Missouri: American Jazz Museum
July 08: Kansas City, Missouri: American Jazz Museum
July 09: St. Louis, Missouri: Jazz at the Bistro
July 10: Chicago, Illinois: The Jazz Showcase
July 11: Cincinnati, Ohio: U. of Cincinnati: World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles Conference
July 13: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The James Gallery, presented by the Manchester Craftsmans Guild
July 14: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Duquesne University, Instrumental Jazz Workshop
July 15: Washington D.C.: Kennedy Center Millennium Stage
The Monterey Jazz Festival is dedicated to perpetuating the uniquely American form of music known as jazz by producing performances that celebrate the legacy and expand the boundaries of jazz; and by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international jazz education programs. The Monterey Jazz Festival is a nonprofit organization and has donated its proceeds to musical education since its inception in 1958.
For more information contact Monterey Jazz Festival.
