20 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 1, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com This year marks the 68th since the Monterey Jazz Festival held its inaugural performance in October 1958. That year’s headliners included Dave Brubeck (who also co-founded the festival), Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Cal Tjader. In the years following, festivalgoers have attended iconic performances by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Esperanza Spalding, a young Herbie Hancock in the early ’60s and an older Herbie Hancock in 2023. What might surprise some—perhaps many—is that for as long as the festival has showcased world class talent, it has also done much to cultivate talent for future generations. In fact, some of the most impressive performances have been made by musicians still in high school. “We are committed to jazz education and the preservation of jazz,” says Lauren Tobin, Monterey Jazz’s director of media and strategic relations. “The festival is sort of what everybody knows us for, but our mission is to preserve and teach younger generations about the history and legacy of jazz. We’ve always been anchored in education.” Founded as a nonprofit educational organization, Monterey Jazz—the group that produces the festival— remains as committed to teaching the form as to showcasing the music. This year, as in years past, while acts like Gerald Clayton and Katie Thiroux are on one stage, some of their mentees will be performing at others. Monterey Jazz features five ensembles as well as numerous partnerships with higher education music programs schools. Of the ensembles, three—the Regional All-Stars—are Monterey-based. “In 2022, we had 30 high school musicians in the ensembles. In 2023, we revived the Middle School Combo, and this year, 47 student musicians have participated in the three ensembles: All-Star Band, All-Star Vocal Ensemble and All-Star Middle School Combo,” says Monterey Jazz Director of Education Claire Kim-Shin. Monterey Jazz has also increased the number of participating schools from nine high schools in 2022 to 16 middle and high schools in 2025. The other ensembles carefully select high school-aged musicians from across the country for several rehearsals before performing various sets and jam sessions at the Jazz Festival. This year the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra will be directed and led by Grammy-nominated pianist Gerald Clayton while the Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo is led by acclaimed bassist Katie Thiroux. “Most people don’t realize that we work round the clock, 365 days a year, holidays and weekends and such, trying to provide avenues for education locally and nationally,” Tobin says. Other programs include a weeklong summer Jazz Camp hosted by Stevenson School and featuring faculty members such as Salinas-based percussionist Marcie Chapa (performing Saturday, Sept. 27) and Grammynominated pianist and composer Christian Sands (performing Saturday, Sept. 27 and Sunday, Sept. 28) and Jazz Uplifts!, an in-school elementary level program led by the Texas-based One O’Clock Combo. Says Kim-Shin about Jazz Uplifts!, “In 2023, the inaugural year, the program served 1,500 students. In 2024, through partnerships with Salinas City Elementary School District, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and Gonzales Unified School District, we invited 2,334 students to three concerts and workshops for a week.” Jazz Uplifts! includes workshops and culminates in three concert presentations in late October. In addition to the ensembles are partnerships. Most notable is Monterey Jazz’s expanding relationship with several Historically Black Colleges and Universities as well as its ongoing partnership with the Berklee College of Music and Texas Southern University. The partnership with TSU broadened the reach of Monterey Jazz’s education programs. Since 2019, about 25 TSU students and faculty travel to Monterey to participate in the Monterey Jazz Festival for performances and masterclasses. In 2023, Monterey Jazz launched “HBCU Jazz Combo Challenge,” an online competition program designed to invite more HBCU jazz ensembles to participate in the festival education programs. “I don’t know any other festival that, along with major names, you see some true middle and high school students showing, giving their best, doing their best work,” Tobin says. “Some of the kids who have come up through these education programs have gone on to become actual working musicians, and they’ve gone on to be professionals and make names for themselves. And that’s really, really exciting.” Tobin then shifts her focus to the “serious jazz folks,” the festival-goers who have been attending Monterey Jazz consistently for more than 50 years, listening not just to the headliners but the student ensembles. “They’ve paid a lot of money, they come to see these big names that they know and love and appreciate,” she says. “But I think what really gives them hope and inspiration is seeing that these students are going to carry this music forward. They’re going to keep it alive. That’s something to be optimistic about.” Forward Thinking Monterey Jazz’s educational programs help keep the music alive and well. By Jesse Herwitz monterey Jazz festival Introducing students to the world of jazz and giving them prominent venues to perform are core to Monterey Jazz’s mission. The San Jose Jazz High School All Stars (clockwise from top) take the Courtyard Stage on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo features jazz players throughout the country. Gerald Clayton (right) and Christian Sands (left) jointly play the piano at the Summer Jazz Camp. MARK ANENBERG CHRISTINA JUNGA RANDY TUNNELL
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==