Thursday, January 6, 2011

Guest Musicians - Jazz Festival


Want to know more about the fantastic musicians that will perform this year at the Folsom Jazz Festival opening concert Friday, January 28, 2011 (besides our very own students of course!) ?

Kevin Bryan is currently the lead trumpet for Harry Connick Jr., The Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Bobby Sanabria Big Band and The Mambo Legends Orchestra. He has established himself as one of the most versatile musicians on the New York scene today. Whether playing powerful, dynamic lead trumpet or taking funky, down home solos, Kevin has been a welcome presence with an astonishing array of artists, including Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Dianne Schurr, James Moody, Paquito D'Rivera, Brian McKnight, Michael Bolton, Patti Austin, Dave Douglas and Clark Terry. His discography includes both Grammy winners and Grammy nominees. Active on the Broadway scene as well, Kevin has performed in the orchestra of dozens of shows, including "In The Heights," "Hairspray," and "The Full Monty." As a student, he was priveleged to study with Bill Bing, Bobby Shew, Laurie Frink, and Victor Paz.

Julia Dollison and Kerry Marsh's album "VerticalVoices: The Music of Maria Schneider" *(ArtistShare/2010) features Schneider's compositions for jazz orchestra using the pair's multi-tracked voices and featuring Schneider's rhythm section. The album made the short list for Grammy nominations in 2010. Inspired by the desire to perform this music live, the duo asked their talented vocalist/arranger/educator friends Jennifer Barnes and Greg Jasperse to join with them to form a vocal quartet. Here, in addition to performing music from "Vertical Voices," the quartet ventures into new artistic territory within the vocal jazz genre, utilizing wordless vocal, new composition, improvisation and more. Julia and Kerry have been great friends of our program for years, mentoring our students, teaching at Sacramento State University and writing and arranging much of our performance music.

The Sacramento Jazz Orchestra is a non-profit performing arts organization dedicated to creating and presenting authentic and engaging jazz experiences for audiences far and wide. Founded in 2009, SJO's goal is to strengthen the awareness of jazz through regional tours, public and private performances, educational programming and outreach events. The SJO performs in the form of a 18-piece big band, jazz quartet, quintet, sextet and other configurations. SJO members are full-time, professional musicians and dedicated jazz educators. Every band member represents countless hours of experience, education, and study on their instrument.

Don't miss the Friday opening concert ot our Jazz Festival! Buy your tickets now at http://www.folsommusic.org/ .

22nd Annual Folsom Jazz Festival

The 22nd Annual Folsom Jazz Festival is fast approaching. This year the Festival will kick off with a concert Friday night, January 28th. Headlining the concert will be the Grammy-nominated Vertical Voices, a jazz vocal quartet featuring Kerry Marsh and Julia Dollison. Other performances include Kevin Bryan, lead trumpet for Harry Connick Jr., with the Folsom High School Jazz Band I and Jazz Choir I, followed by the Sacramento Jazz Orchestra. Tickets are $15 per person, $10 for seniors and students, and can be purchased at www.FolsomMusic.org.

We are expecting nearly 130 groups to perform the day of the Festival on Saturday January 29th. There are still many volunteer positions that need to be filled. Please call Valerie Alens at 355-1733 if you can help out. You can also reach Valerie at volunteers@folsommusic.org.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for the Jazz Festival. If you or someone you know is interested in being a sponsor, please contact Lorie Walton at lwalton925@yahoo.com or (916) 217-2570.

Boosters Selling Folsom Chamber Discount Cards

The FHS Music Boosters are selling the Folsom Chamber Discount Cards! These cards are a great way to support our local merchants, keep our tax dollars in Folsom and best of all, for every card sold, $8 is donated back to our organization!

Currently there are 166 local discounts and the card value is well over $10,000! To purchase your card click on the link http://www.chamberdiscountcard.com/modules/guide/fundraiser.php?id=702

or contact Mary at mcslusser@comcast.net.