On Fri., June 24, the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Monterey County High School All-Star Band and High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble will depart for a 3-day tour to the heartland of the United States, with performances in Kansas and Missouri.
During the tour, they will perform at a number of festivals and other sites.
“I’m very excited about our upcoming County High School All-Star Band and High School Honor Vocal Jazz Ensemble tour to America’s jazz heartland,” said Dr. Rob Klevan, Education Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival. “The tour will give our students a chance to visit some of the most historical points of interest in America’s jazz history, as well as perform in a variety of settings.”
After their return from the Midwest, the Monterey County High School All-Star Band will perform at the San Jose Jazz Festival. Both the All-Star Band and the Vocal Honor Ensemble will also perform at Jazz on the Plazz in Los Gatos on Wed., Aug. 17, from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The Jazz on the Plazz concert is free, and will take place at the Los Gatos Town Plaza, at the intersection of West Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue in downtown Los Gatos. The bands will also make their traditional appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival on Sunday, September 18 in the Night Club.
The Monterey County High School All-Star Band, directed by saxophonist and flautist Paul Contos, includes the best and brightest student musicians from the Festival’s home county. Members are selected by the Festival’s “Traveling Clinicians” who visit Monterey schools once a month during the school year for one-on-one instruction in jazz, and the 2011 groups include jazz musicians and vocalists from Carmel, Monterey Pacific Grove, Salinas, and Stevenson high schools.
2011 Monterey County High School All-Star Band
Director – Paul Contos
Saxophones
Nathan Short – alto, Carmel High School
Davis Mendelsohn – alto, Salinas High School
Alexander Alegre – tenor, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Matt Pardue – tenor, Carmel High School
Emmett Ferry – baritone, Carmel High School
Trombones
Peter Sujan, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Matthew Shonman, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Ben Hudson, Stevenson School
Edison Cho, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Marshall Murphy (bass), Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Trumpets
Steven Groves, Salinas High School
Alec Guertin, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Mikey Cho, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Tyler Chisman, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Bryan Louie, Stevenson School
Rhythm/Other
Patrick Hogan – piano, Pacific Grove High School Jazz Club
Andrew Parker – bass, Salinas High School
Nigel Hardy – guitar, Carmel High School
Micah Cabaccang – drums, Salinas High School
Cameron Yeater – drums, Carmel High School
Ashley Johnson – vocals, Salinas High School
