Khalil Shaheed, 1949-2012, a tribute by John Santos

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I cannot begin to express my sadness around the passing of Brother Khalil Shaheed so soon. It leaves a gaping hole in our extended Oakland community, as well as in my heart. He was a wonderful friend, colleague, father, mentor, and human being — a grand soul. Khalil Shaheed (born Tommy Hall on 1/19/49) came to the Bay Area from Chicago in the mid-’70s. I met him shortly thereafter when he was a member of a spankin’ funk group called Kingfish. Tommy, as he was known back then, was a solid trumpeter with jazz and blues roots, and played a vibrant and integral part in solidifying the San Francisco Bay Area musical scene that cut across several genres, particularly funk, soul, and Latin.

He converted to Islam and changed his name in the ’80s. This was the major force in his rebirth, and he dedicated himself wholly to his art, his understanding of the world, and to community service. It instilled in him a contagious joy and enthusiastic attitude that he kept to the end. He was a peaceful man on a mission and was exemplary for all of us in his focus on his spirituality, his family, his music, and band — and last but not least, the kids in Oakland.

In 1994, Khalil founded the Oaktown Jazz Workshop with the intention of giving the youth of Oakland the opportunity to know and celebrate jazz, and draw from its history and wisdom in their own creative ways. He also understood that jazz is essential to teach life skills, not only in Black and working class communities, but anywhere in this country. He frequently brought in jazz greats to teach and play with the kids, such as Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Jason Marsalis, Gene Harris, Art Farmer, Terrence Blanchard, Nicholas Payton, Arturo Sanduval, Joe Zawinul, and Michael Brecker, to name just a few. Many of his kids have gone on to become professional musicians, teachers and stars in their own right. It was a constant struggle, but he saw it through, eventually convincing all doubters and procuring sponsorship from many sources.

He was a tireless warrior for jazz and for our kids, bringing jazz to schools throughout Oakland, the greater San Francisco Bay Area, and Northern California. The city finally gave Oaktown Jazz a beautiful space in Jack London Square across from Yoshi’s in 2010. I hope it can flourish as it deserves to — the way Khalil dreamed. Before Oaktown Jazz got its own space, he’d bring many of us in to work with the kids at the Church on International Blvd., and give them a well-rounded perspective of where the music is coming from and how to participate, appreciate, and honor it. This is the neighborhood in which I live and I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that his work is directly related to what sanity still exists between the shootings that happen here every day or two. In that regard, Khalil was a great blessing and saviour for countless kids and their families — truly a local treasure.

I last saw him a few weeks ago, and he looked tired and swollen from the chemo, and was obviously in pain. But his warm smile showed through just the same. His hug was weak, but his heart was irrepressible.

I know of few others who are as loved and respected by their peers and as well as community members of all ages. Khalil was fearless and spoke up in any setting on behalf of all of us — a real giant in our village. He was seriously funny with a wicked sense of humor, but also dead serious about his business. My family and I love that man and will forever be grateful for having him in our lives as a positive force and inspiration. I know that many of us will continue to carry him in all we do, as we attempt to honor his legacy of generosity, love, and goodwill. Much love and strength to the beautiful family he leaves behind. Much gratitude and light to your spirit good brother Khalil — asalam malecum.

John Santos, March 24, 2012, Oakland, California

Photo by Chuck Gee.

Jazz Camp registration now open

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Sign up now for 2012 Stanford Jazz Workshop summer jazz immersion programs and evening classes!

  • Jazz Camp is for musicians aged 12 – 17, and provides a fun, encouraging environment in which to explore jazz improvisation and to make lots of new friends. Week 1: July 15 – July 20. Week 2: July 22 – 27.
  • Jazz Residency is for adults, and gives emerging professionals a chance to work with the greatest jazz artists of our time. Week 3: July 20 – August 3.
  • Evening Summer Classes provide a fun and relaxing way to improve your chops and increase your knowledge of jazz. June 18 – July 13.

Click on the links above to find out more, and click on the Register button above to sign up immediately.

SJF alumna up for GRAMMY® on The Mosaic Project

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Several Stanford Jazz Festival artists are up for GRAMMY® awards for their participation on Terri Lyne Carrington’s new CD, The Mosaic Project, on Concord Records. SJF alumna on the disc include pianist Geri Allen, trumpeter/flugelhorn player Ingrid Jensen, vocalist Gretchen Parlato, and clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, all of whom contributed beautiful parts to the fascinating arrangements on this excellent album. Other great musicians among the all-female personnel on this fine recording include Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nona Hendryx, Cassandra Wilson, Esperanza Spalding, Helen Sung, and Tineke Postma, in addition to Terri Lyne herself on drums.

The Mosaic Project is nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Find out more about it by clicking here.

SJW alumni at the GRAMMIES®

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We’re thrilled to learn that several alumni of Stanford Jazz Camp and Jazz Residency have been selected to participate in this year’s Grammy® Camp Jazz Session ensembles. During the week-long program, participants will perform at events related to the 54th annual Grammy® Awards in Los Angeles, under the direction of Justin DiCioccio of the Manhattan School of Music, Dr. Ron McCurdy of the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and Dr. Leila Heil of the University of Colorado, Boulder. Read more about it here, and congratulations to these great SJW alumni who’ve been selected to participate:

Max Boiko (trumpet)
Lucas Del Calvo (guitar)
Ryan DeWeese (trumpet)
David Leon (saxophone)
Connor Schultze (bass)
Laila Smith (vocals)
Christina Takayama (vocals)
MIchael Wang (trombone)

2012 Camp & Classes dates now set

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Mark your calendars, the dates for the 2012 Jazz Camp, Jazz Residency, and Evening Summer Classes have been announced:

  • Evening Summer Classes: June 18 – July 13
  • Jazz Camp, Week 1: July 15 – July 20
  • Jazz Camp, Week 2: July 22 – July 27
  • Jazz Residency, Week 3: July 29 – August 3

Online registration will open the second week of December; stay tuned for an email at that time, announcing that registration has begun. Find out more about our jazz immersion programs by clicking on links above.

Bird with Strings airs this Sunday on KCSM

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One of the highlights of the 2011 Stanford Jazz Festival wasBird with Strings on July 16, which featured SJW faculty member Andrew Speight on alto saxophone, the Alexander String Quartet with guests, and a killin’ rhythm section. They performed arrangements written for Charlie Parker and strings by the best arrangers in jazz; performing these arrangements was pretty much the focus of Charlie Parker’s life in early 1950s, so their significance can’t be overstated. But if you attended Jazz Camp or Jazz Residency, this concert happened before you arrived at Stanford, so you couldn’t catch this prime opportunity to hear this great music played by Andrew at his bebop best.

You and anyone else who missed the original performance of this amazing show are in luck! KCSM Jazz 91.1 FM will broadcast the performance this Sunday evening, September 25, at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time! Hosted by Jim Bennett on his In The Moment show, the performance was not only historic — many of the arrangements have not been heard since Charlie Parker himself performed them — but it was also music of the highest caliber.

This Sunday evening, September 25, at 8:00 p.m., you can tune in via radio or the internet to hear the concert: visit KCSM’s web site for more information by clicking here.

For more info about Jim Bennett and the In The Moment show, click here.

You can read the program notes from the original concert by downloading a PDF file here, and see the original event information on the Stanford Jazz Festival web site here.

Lee Hildebrand wrote an excellent article on Andrew Speight for the San Francisco Chronicle just prior to the performance of Bird with Strings; you can read it here.

See photos of the original performance by clicking here.

For more information on Andrew Speight, visit his own website here, and see his page on the San Francisco State University web site here.

Don’t forget to tune in this Sunday!

SF Chronicle interviews Andrew Speight in Sunday Datebook

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Of the music of Charlie Parker, Andrew Speight told Chronicle writer Lee Hildebrand that “It had all the precision and beauty of Bach or Mozart.” The fascinating article delves deep into Andrew’s upbringing in a jazz-focused family in Australia, and is available in today’s Sunday San Francisco Chronicle, or you can read it online by clicking here. Andrew performs a special concert of the music of Charlie Parker this coming Saturday, July 16, at 8 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium on the Stanford campus. Called “Bird with Strings,” the show will present arrangements written for Charlie Parker at his request that showcase his superb melodic gifts backed by strings, oboe, and rhythm section. This is a rare opportunity to hear one of the great modern exponents of bebop (Andrew Speight) interpreting these astonishing arrangements, and you can find out more by clicking here.

Study songwriting at SJW

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Acclaimed singer/songwriter Rebecca Martin returns to SJW this summer to lead an expanded program for aspiring songwriters. Taking place during Jazz Residency (July 31 – August 5), the SJW Songwriting Program offers students an opportunity to become immersed in the craft of creating and performing original songs with Rebecca and two additional rising stars of the New York jazz and songwriting scene: Gretchen Parlato and Becca Stevens. Collectively, these three talented musicians have collaborated with the greatest talents in the songwriting and jazz worlds today, including Norah Jones, Jesse Harris, Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter, Paul Motian, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Taylor Eigsti, Larry Grenadier, and many more.

Open to all instrumentalists and vocalists, expanded Songwriting Program offers a full schedule of classes and activities, including a daily theory class focused on turning original songs into charts that any musician can read, a daily masterclass that addresses many topics related to the art of songwriting, rehearsals, and workshops where participants can share ideas and get feedback from fellow students and Songwriting faculty. Students will perform their songs-in-progress for each other each day, under the direction of Rebecca, Gretchen, and Becca, and with support from other Jazz Residency faculty such as Larry Grenadier, Reid Anderson, and Jenny Scheinman.

Please note that students enrolled in the Songwriting Program have activities during both the early and late combo periods, so they will not also be able to play in a student combo or participate in the Vocal Performance program.

The Songwriting Program will conclude at the end of the week-long workshop with public performances at a popular venue on the Stanford University campus on Friday, August 5; please note that Songwriting Program participants will not perform at the Thursday night Participant Recital.

Rebecca says the goals of the Songwriting Program are “to inspire, instruct, facilitate, and empower songwriters to craft meaningful songs through self exploration, collaborations, and band performances.”

For more information about the Songwriting Program, please write toIvor Holloway.

Click on a name to learn more about Rebecca Martin, Gretchen Parlato, and Becca Stevens.

To register, click on the Register button above and be sure to check the Songwriting option.

Powerhouse Jazz String Faculty at 2011 Jazz Residency

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Where can adult string players go to get a summer jazz immersion experience? Stanford Jazz Workshop’s Jazz Residency! The violin, viola, and cello faculty for 2011 is an all-star lineup, including Jenny Scheinman, Dana Leong, and Victor Lin. All three are at the top of the jazz string world, and—not coincidentally—they all are alumni of the Stanford Jazz Camp.

In addition to releasing her own recordings, Jenny’s been playing with many artists, including Tony Scherr, Norah Jones, Bill Frisell, Lucinda Williams, Madeleine Peyroux, Marc Ribot, and many others. Dana’s been seen with Dafnis Prieto, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Wynton Marsalis, Yoko Ono, Kanye West, and Henry Threadgill, in addition to playing with his own group, Milk & Jade. Victor Lin has recently released a solo album entitledThe Hymnal, and he performs with Frank Vignola’s Hot Club USA and The Howard Fishman Quartet.

In addition to being world-class jazz artists, all three are highly experienced teachers, with many years of instruction under their belts.

Acoustic bassists are in for a treat at Jazz Residency, too: The faculty includes Larry Grenadier (FLY, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny), Reid Anderson (The Bad Plus), Harish Raghavan, Josh Thurston-Milgrom, Tomoko Funaki, and Jon Wiitala.

Violin, viola, cello, and bass players of all levels are welcome at Jazz Residency. All players get placed in combos with musicians of a similar level of experience, and combos rehearse every day under the guidance of a faculty member. In master classes, the string faculty will demonstrate jazz string techniques and skills at all levels. Special Presentations cover topics from soloing and ensemble techniques to arranging and advanced jazz concepts. String players may choose their own level of jazz theory class, from beginner to highly advanced.

On Thursday evening, August 4, all combos perform for the public, family, and friends in fantastic performance venues on the Stanford campus.

For more information about Jazz Residency, click here.

Click on a name to learn more about individual faculty members at Jazz Residency: Jenny Scheinman, Dana Leong, Victor Lin, Larry Grenadier,Reid Anderson.

Jazz guitar superstars at SJW Jazz Residency

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SJW’s Jazz Residency (July 31 – August 5) is always a great place to come to improve your guitar chops, get a lot of playing time, and hang out and have fun with other jazz guitarists. This summer SJW has an excpetional guitar faculty lined up for Jazz Residency: genre-buster Bill Frisell, accompanist to the stars Anthony Wilson, and meteoric young trail-blazer and longtime SJW faculty member Julian Lage.

Bill Frisell is has long been the poster child for unbridled creative jazz. His mastery of the instrument is augmented by an affinity for adventurousness where tone and color are concerned. His unique voice is instantly recognizable, yet you never know what to expect when you hear him. Anthony Wilson is one of the most in-demand musicians of his generation. He has released eight critically-acclaimed solo albums since 1997. He has been a member of Diana Krall’s quartet since 2001, and played on her Grammy-winning Live in Paris recording. SJW favorite Julian Lage is currently touring with the New Gary Burton Quartet, and has recently released his debut album, Sounding Point.

At Jazz Residency, guitarists spend time daily shedding with their combos, improving their knowledge of theory, and, most importanly, learning from these incredible talents in guitar masterclasses, in special presentations, and in nightly live performances at the Stanford Jazz Festival. Click here to learn more about Jazz Residency.

Click on a name for more information on Bill Frisell, Anthony Wilson, andJulian Lage.

To sign up for Jazz Residency, click on the Register button above, or the one below.