Summer online jazz programs now open for registration

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Last year, SJW had such overwhelmingly positive feedback to Jazz Camp Online that we decided to expand our summer jazz online experience with a new program for 2021: Jazz Institute Online.

Giving participants access to some of the great jazz musicians of the world, Jazz Institute Online is designed for adults 18 and over, though musicians age 17 and younger may audition for acceptance into the program. This week-long intensive jazz program offers four 75-minute live sessions per day, plus access to prerecorded lessons, panel discussions, performances, and fun live sessions such as the Charlie Parker Memorial Jam Session and the inspiring Morning Meetings.

Find out more about Jazz Institute Online by clicking here. 

Jazz Camp Online offers two 1-week sessions for students aged 18 and younger. Participants get four 40-minute live sessions per day in which they study and learn from some of the greatest jazz educators in the country. Fun events such as the Blues of the Week Contest and Charlie Parker Memorial Jam Session round out the week, and access to prerecorded lessons, master classes, panel discussions, and more give students a very deep dive into improving their jazz skills.

Find out more about Jazz Camp Online by clicking here. 

The dates for the programs are:

Week 1 Jazz Camp Online
July 11 – July 16

Week 2 Jazz Camp Online
July 18 – July 23

Jazz Institute Online
July 25 – July 30

SJW cancels 2020 Stanford Jazz Festival

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In compliance with directives from Stanford University regarding cancellation of summer camps and programs, and heeding the recommendations of state and local health officials, we have come to the painful decision to cancel the 2020 Stanford Jazz Festival, concerts of which were scheduled to be held on the campus of Stanford University, between June 20 and August 1.

We know this news will be as much of a disappointment to our ticket buyers and performers as it is to all of us here at Stanford Jazz Workshop, as we’ve been looking forward to immersing ourselves into music this summer with all of our friends. We will of course miss the joy, inspiration and revitalization that comes with the direct connection to our jazz community, though our primary concern now is the health and safety of our students and their families, our faculty, and our staff. We also want to ensure that we as a community do our part to halt the spread of the highly infectious COVID-19 disease.

We are painfully aware of the negative impact this unprecedented action will have on the SJW community, particularly:

  • The 10,000+ patrons who look forward to being thrilled by the unique live performances at the Stanford Jazz Festival
  • The 700+ developing jazz musicians who count on SJW’s summer jazz immersion programs for inspiration, guidance, and community
  • The 100+ faculty artists who depend on SJW’s summer programs for community, growth, and income
  • All in our extended SJW family around the world

Ticket purchases will be refunded

We will issue a full refund for any tickets purchased, to any of the four concerts already on sale. Please allow up to 5 business days for the refund to reflect on your online credit card bank account. If you do not see your refund by Thursday, April 16, please contact the Stanford Ticket Office by emailing [email protected]. The entire Stanford Ticket Office staff is working remotely while sheltering at home, and we’re managing our operations as best we can. Thanks in advance for your patience.

You can help SJW to continue our important work with a donation

The response necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is devastating for arts organizations, and SJW is no exception. We want to assure you that, though our summer programs are canceled for now, our dedicated and caring staff is here and doing all they can to make sure that our important education and performance programs will be available to you again as soon as possible. We look forward to staying connected with you through social media and our e-newsletter.

If you would like to support our continuing work, you may waive your refund and convert your ticket purchase into a donation. To do so, simply reply to the notification email you received and indicate you’d like to donate your ticket purchase to SJW.

Alternatively, if you have capacity to contribute and help us to keep our operations going during this difficult time, please click on the link below:

Support

We look forward to staying connected with you through social media and our e-newsletter.

We urge everyone to keep informed about this changing situation by visiting the following web sites regularly:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
California Department of Public Health
Santa Clara County Public Health Department
San Mateo County Department of Health

If you have any questions or concerns about our programs or our response to the threat of the spread of COVID-19 disease, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or by calling 650-736-0324. We want you all to stay safe and healthy during this difficult situation.  That is our primary goal, now and always, at SJW.  Please take care of yourselves, of your friends and families, and our communities.

SJW suspends after-school program; summer programs will proceed

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Stanford Jazz Workshop’s highest priority is the health and safety of our students, their families, our patrons, and our faculty and staff. We have been closely monitoring the guidelines and protocols for protecting communities from the COVID-19 disease published by the Centers for Disease Control, Stanford University, county Health Departments, and the State of California. As of today (March 12, 2020) we are taking the following actions:

School- Year/After School programs

All after-school programs have been suspended, effective from March 12th through April 17th. We will reevaluate the situation prior to that date and will provide an update at that time. We will attempt to reschedule these cancelled sessions, if feasible, and may also explore online options for continuing. We will keep you apprised regarding these possibilities, as well as refunds for cancelled sessions, in the coming days.

Summer Programs

At this time, all summer educational programs are scheduled to proceed as planned. Registration is open for Giant Steps Day Camp, Jazz Camp, and Jazz Institute. Tickets for the Stanford Jazz Festival will be available soon.

If the CDC, other government agency, or Stanford University recommends cancelation of these programs, we will follow their guidance. There is no deadline, at this point, by which that will be definitively confirmed. If programs are cancelled, all participants will receive a full and complete refund. If you are currently registered for a summer program, we encourage you to remain registered to reserve your spot. However, given the circumstances, if you wish to cancel your registration due to concerns regarding the Coronavirus, we will waive all cancelation fees for cancelations received by April 17th. We will make further assessments regarding summer programs prior to that date.

It’s important to emphasize that, as far as we know, none of our students, faculty, or staff have confirmed cases of the virus. Confronting the challenges of a public health emergency like this can create discomfort and anxiety. We will continue to provide updates and guidance as soon and as often as possible via email and on our website.

We are in regular contact with organizations providing our facilities in order to align with policies governing their use during this uncertain time, including:

• Stanford University
• College of San Mateo
• San Mateo Unified High School District
• Sequoia Unified High School District
• Menlo Park City Schools
• The Harker School

As we get updates from our partners, we will inform our participants and their families, patrons, and staff of any changes to procedures and protocols that we must follow.

We urge everyone to keep informed about this changing situation by visiting the following web sites regularly:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
California Department of Public Health
Santa Clara County Public Health Department
San Mateo County Department of Health

If you have any questions or concerns about our programs or our response to the threat of the spread of COVID-19 disease, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] or by calling 650-736-0324. We want you all to stay safe and healthy during this difficult situation.  That is our primary goal, now and always, at SJW.  Please take care of yourselves, of your friends and families, and our communities.

Audition for SJW’s after-school jazz programs

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Auditions begin this weekend for our Fall Giant Steps Big Band programs and Miles Ahead band programs! If you know a young musician in middle school or high school who would like to play jazz and learn to improvise after-school with some of the best young musicians in the community, please let them know about these fantastic programs.

Auditions will be held at Braun Music Center at Stanford University on the following dates and times:

Saturday, August 17, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 18, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday, August 24, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, August 25, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

If you can’t schedule an audition during the above times, you may submit an online audition.

Instructions and audition materials are available now!

DOWNLOAD AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS FOR GIANT STEPS BIG BANDS HERE

DOWNLOAD AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS FOR MILES AHEAD BIG BANDS AND COMBO HERE

WATCH VIDEOS OF OUR YEAR-ROUND BANDS

REGISTER FOR AN AUDITION TIME NOW

WAIT, WHAT ARE THE MILES AHEAD BIG BANDS AND COMBO?

WAIT, WHAT ARE THE GIANT STEPS BIG BANDS?

Tour the 2019 Stanford Jazz Festival with Jim Nadel

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Miles Ahead Combo — a gigging machine!

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SJW’s Miles Ahead Combo is having a busy spring. The combo, which is directed by SJW faculty artist Raffi Garabedian, is made up of musicians from seven different schools — hence the “conglomerate” label by which many after-school ensembles are known at jazz festivals.

This past Saturday, March 10, the band needed no label other than “burning” as they played at the 7 Mile House Jazz Festival, along with many other terrific jazz artists, such as SJW faculty artists Kris Strom and Scott Sorkin, as well as Curt Moore, Murray Low, Dave Bendigkeit, Anton Schwartz, Frank Tusa, Jeff Cressman, Calvin Keys, Deszon Claiborne, Wally Schnalle, John Gove, Jeff Denson, Al Molina, Peter Barshay, Vince Lateoano, Glen Pearson, Ray Obiedo, and others — the lineup was a veritable Who’s Who of the Bay Area jazz world!

KCSM DJ Alisa Clancy shared emcee duties, and had the honor of introducing the group to the packed house. The combo — normally a septet with a full frontline of horns — was a quintet for Saturday’s show, consisting of Eric Mayerhofer from Carlmont High in Belmont on alto, Ben Redlawsk on bass from Sequoia High in Redwood City, drummer Roni Herschmann from Palo Alto’s Henry M. Gunn High, guitarist/composer Grant Grech who attends Junipero Serra High in San Mateo, and Keshav Balaji on piano, from Valley Christian High in San Jose. Not seen onstage due to school performance obligations were tenor saxophonist Myrsani San Marchi from Amador Valley High and trombonist Donovan Warren from Stuart Hall High in San Francisco.

This cosmopolitan combo appears next at the following events:

  • Saturday, April 28: Mountain View High School Jazz Festival, 2 p.m.
  • Sunday, May, 6: Performing with the Miles Ahead Big Band and SJW Alumni Big Band, Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University, 2 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 27: Opening for Erik Jekabsen’s Electric Squeezebox Orchestra at the California Jazz Conservatory

For more information about the Miles Ahead program, which is open to all music students who are concurrently enrolled in the school music program, click here.

To see the schedule of great jazz at the 7 Mile House, click here.

Thanks to Jessica Levant for the great photo!

World Rhythm @ SJW begins its third year

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Lifetime Achievement award presented to Remo Belli at Stanford Jazz Festival

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The Stanford Jazz Festival and Stanford Jazz Workshop were honored to be part of a special presentation by SJW Festival artist, faculty member, and percussionist Tupac Mantilla. Tupac is beloved by Festival patrons and SJW students alike, with his boundless energy, creativity, and virtuosity. Just prior to the August 1 performance of percussionist John Santos at the Stanford Jazz Festival, Remo Belli, Founder and CEO of Remo, Inc., a world-renowned manufacturer of percussion instruments and products, received Percuaction’s annual Lifetime Achievement Industry Award, presented by Tupac Mantilla, who is himself Artistic Director and CEO of the organization. Having the ceremony at the John Santos performance was not coincidental, as Santos has been a Remo artist for many years.

Please download the attached press release for full details and photos. SJW_Remo_award_2015_final