Monterey, CA (Top40 Charts/ Monterey Jazz Festival) - The Monterey Jazz Festival is proud to announce the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra's New York City performances at the Jazz Standard on July 7, 2010, capping off their ten-day North American Tour. Performing two sets at 7:30 and 9:30, the twenty-one member NGJO represents the most talented high school jazz students from all regions of the United States in the Festival's internationally-renowned high school all-star big band.
Created as a part of the Monterey Jazz Festival's continuing commitment to jazz education, members of the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra were selected through an application process during MJF's Next Generation Jazz Festival each spring. Tickets for the NGJO's two performances can be bought at jazzstandard.net or by calling (212) 576-2232. The Jazz Standard is located in Manhattan at 116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016.
The Jazz Standard shows end the group's ten-day Tri-C to NYC 2010 North American Tour, which begins on June 30 in Cleveland, Ohio, and includes performances at the Hanna Theater in Cleveland; the Rex Hotel in Toronto; the Toronto Jazz Festival, and the Montreal Jazz Festival. In the past, the Orchestra has performed at festivals and venues around the world, including Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City and the Hilton in Paris, France (2007); the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2008); and a 10-day U.S. tour from Kansas City to Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center (2009).
'All of us involved with this incredible ensemble are thrilled for the opportunity to perform at such a famed New York jazz venue as the Jazz Standard,' said Rob Klevan, MJF's Education Director. 'We brought the band to the club back in 2006, and I can't think of a better place to conclude our wonderful 2010 summer jazz tour experience.'
In 2010, there are nine returning members for the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, including saxophonists Andrew Olson (Tualatin High School, Tualatin, Oregon) and Maximillian Zooi (Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles, California); trombonists Kyle Molitor (Tigard High School, Tigard, Oregon), Jon Hatamiya (Davis Senior High School, Davis, California), John Egizi (Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, Los Angeles, California) and Emmanuel Rojas (Warren High School, Downey, California); trumpeters Joshua Gawel (Daniel Boone Area High School, Birdsboro, Pennsylvania) Noah Hocker (American Music Program, Portland, Oregon); and vocalist Ben Lusher (The Masters School, Dobbs Ferry, New York). John Egizi and Emmanual Rojas are three-time members of the band this year.
Twenty-one high school musicians from six states comprise the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra including eleven students from California, five from Oregon, two from New York, and one each from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Dating back to 1971 when it was called MJF High School All-Star Big Band, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra has been under the leadership of Ladd McIntosh, Don Schramber, Benny Golson, Bill Berry, and many more. Now under the tutelage of Mr. Paul Contos, the renowned saxophonist and flautist who serves as the director of the Orchestra, the ensemble is dedicated to the study and performance of the most challenging big band literature available.
The Jazz Standard shares a similar educational mission to the Monterey Jazz Festival. The Jazz Standard Discovery Program (JSDP) was created in 1997 by James Polsky, founder of Jazz Standard, to foster connection between NYC schoolchildren and the jazz art form. Each week, the club hosts youth from area schools who participate in fun and interactive jazz workshops as part of their musical education. During these workshops, professional musicians perform, share the history of jazz, explain the different jazz styles, and open the floor up to student questions.
In addition to these weekly workshops, the program supports the Jazz Standard Youth Orchestra (JYSO), a breeding ground for NYC's most talented young musicians. Directed by Conductor and Arranger David O'Rourke, the JYSO performs every Sunday afternoon before a live audience of all ages as part of the Jazz Standard's Jazz for Kids series.
