> Early Registration Deadline Ends March 15

> SJW Faculty Profile: Larry Grenadier

> A Place to Grow at SJW by Dana Leong

> Syd Hislam: A Fond Remembrance

> ASCAP Young Composers Award Winners

> UPCOMING: Benefit for Haiti; Stanford Afro-Latin Series Events; Arts+Open=Change Conference

Stanford Jazz Workshop Faculty Profile: Larry Grenadier

As is the case with many bassists, Larry Grenadier's name may not be immediately familiar. However, if you've been in the audience at a Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Joe Henderson or Joshua Redman concert or listened to their recordings, you will have heard Larry's consummate work. Embracing the role of the bass in a group setting and never showboating for the sake of it, Grenadier has demonstrated the instrument's versatility and consistently finds new avenues of expression within the ensemble context. His ability to converse rhythmically and harmonically with his fellow players is certainly one of his signature attributes, making him a sought after collaborator who is truly among the best of the best. (Read Full Profile Here)

Please check our faculty page for a complete faculty list. Pictured: Larry Grenadier. Photo Credit: SJW Staff.

A Place To Grow at SJW
by Dana Leong, cellist, trombonist, Workshop alum & SJW Faculty
Cellist/Trombonist/Composer Dana Leong fuses hip-hop, jazz and electronics to create a signature boundless sound. Often referred to as a "hi-def Yo-Yo Ma," Dana's pioneering fusion of electronic music and ethereal jazz has garnered critical acclaim and wowed audiences worldwide. Whether as a performer, composer, collaborator, or recording producer, he has worked with top artists including Dafnis Prieto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Wynton Marsalis, Yoko Ono, and Kanye West, to name a few. Dana’s genre-bending quartet, MILK & JADE by Dana Leong, has received worldwide acclaim performing sold out shows at jazz festivals in Sweden, Italy, Germany, Finland, Slovenia, Serbia, Austria, Ireland, Mexico, Macau, and China. In 2008, the band served as an American musical ambassador overseas as part of "The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad" program, produced in conjunction with Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. An Asian-American artist of Chinese and Japanese descent, Dana studied both classical cello and jazz trombone on double scholarships at Manhattan School of Music. As an official Yamaha artist, Dana gives clinics and workshops around the globe on the use of electronics with cello and trombone, and his unique genre-bending composition techniques.

Following Dana's article are links with information about his new self-titled CD and his upcoming concert at Symphony Space in NY on March 5.

Hello Friends and Family of Stanford Jazz Workshop,

Dana Leong, cellist, trombonist, composer, and former student turned faculty of SJW writing here! I was both flattered and honored to be asked to write about my many experiences at the Workshop, and had to sit for a good while before deciding exactly which experiences to share.

These days, my ‘average day’ consists of what most folks refer to as ‘keeping many balls in the air.’ Growing a career in music is similar to one of those entertaining movie scenes where the main character steps into a tiny town and sees one guy playing the part of the mayor, the post master, the chef, the bartender, the banker, the bus driver, the locksmith etc.(continue reading)

Syd Hislam: A Fond Remembrance by SJW Communications Director Laura G Thorne

Anyone who was a regular concertgoer at SJW through the years will remember Syd Hislam, who passed away peacefully on Saturday January 23rd 2010 at the grand old age of 95. Truly a character in every sense of the word, Syd was one of the most beloved members of the SJW community, and left an indelible impression on those of us who knew him. I had the good fortune of spending time with him during only one Festival - my first on staff at SJW in 2007 - as traveling from the state of Washington, where he was living, became increasingly difficult thereafter. Syd welcomed me with hearty good humor, and soon I looked forward to sharing a laugh with him whenever I had a moment to stop and chat. I learned to keep an eye on Syd's leg during each concert (he was at almost every one) to determine whether a show was sufficiently "jazz" or not; if the leg didn't move, it wasn't jazz enough for Syd!

Born in Britain three weeks after the start of World War 1 on August 22, 1914...(continue reading)

Congratulations to ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award Winners!

ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) announced its Young Jazz Composer Award honorees on February 16. We were pleased to see so many SJW alumni on the list, including Laila Smith (the youngest recipient at 15!) Grace Kelly, Matt Savage and Erica Von Kliest. Honorable mentions included Fabian Almazan and Alex Sugerman. Last year, Laila also received DownBeat's Student Music Award in the Jazz Soloist, Junior High School category. Matt Savage, by the way, is now at Berklee. The Boston Globe profiled him earlier this month and has a performance video on their website.

UPCOMING: Benefit for Haiti; Stanford Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble Concerts; Arts + Open = Change Conference

Join the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of SF, the Bay Area Latin All-Stars featuring John Santos, Jesus Diaz, Wayne Wallace, Jeff Cressman, David Flores and many other top players in the Latin scene to benefit Sionfronds for HAITI on Sunday, February 28th at Pier 23, San Francisco. Presented by Stephanie Dalton and the Urban Music Network. View event flyer

An Afro-Latin Jazz Series will commence at Stanford beginning March 3 with a free event presented by Ray Vega, "New York Roots of Latin Jazz." On March 6th, a concert will feature Ray Vega, John Calloway and Jesus Diaz with the Stanford Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble. Several additional events wiil take place in April and May. Complete details & concert descriptions on our special events page.
View event flyer

CONFERENCE: ARts + Open = Change
"Creativity & Social Collaboration in a New Era for Education"
Transformative leaders in education, teachers and learners are taking on new roles with peers and students using new social tools and ways of sharing to address real issues, by telling stories, blogging, discussing, using the arts and co-creating together. How can these empowering roles be integrated equitably into our schools and to what impact? March 6, 2010, San Francisco. Event Info

Thanks To Our Sponsors
Whether through cash sponsorships or in-kind donations, the support of our corporate sponsors helps to make the Stanford Jazz Festival and Workshop possible. SJW gratefully acknowledges the following sponsors for their generosity: See’s Candies, Presenting Sponsor of the 2009 Stanford Jazz Festival; KCSM FM 91.1, Official Radio Sponsor; Palo Alto Weekly, Official Print Media Sponsor, Rosewood Sand Hill Hotel; Stanford Park Hotel; Vin, Vino, Wine; Department of Music at Stanford University; JazzWest.com; Grooveyard Jazz; Gallien Krueger; Gordon Biersch Brewing Company; Paiste Cymbals; Sonor Drums; Stanford Blood Center; Yamaha Band & Orchestral; Yamaha Percussion Division; Zildjian Cymbals.