Monterey Jazz Festival Announces Summer Jazz Camp June 18-29 at Monterey Peninsula College

Instructors include 2007 MJF Artist-In-Residence Terence Blanchard, Teaching Monterey County Middle and High School Students the Art of Jazz

Free Concerts, Jam Sessions and Classes Benefit Children and Audiences of Monterey County

Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Jazz Camp
June 18-29, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Ages 12-18
Monterey Peninsula College
980 Fremont St, Monterey, 93940

Student Jam Session
Monday, June 25, 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Location: Monterey Live
414 Alvarado St, Monterey, CA 93940
Free & Open to the Public

Camp Vocal Solos & Combos Concert
Wednesday, June 27, 7:00 pm
Location: National Steinbeck Center
1 Main St, Salinas, CA 93901
Free & Open to the Public

Camp Big Bands & Vocal Ensembles Concert
Thursday, June 28, 7:00 pm
Location: Pacific Grove Middle School Auditorium
835 Forest Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Free & Open to the Public

The Monterey Jazz Festival is pleased to announce its two-week Summer Jazz Camp for middle and high school students at Monterey Peninsula College, taking place June 18 - 29, 2007. This year, 180 students from over 30 schools in Monterey County will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in jazz study and performance with a star-studded line-up of professional musicians and educators. As part of its long- standing commitment to jazz education, the Monterey Jazz Festival has offered a total of $90,000 in subsidies for participating students, making the camp not only educationally rewarding and fun, but accessible as well.

The MJF Summer Jazz Camp is an intensive immersion program for young jazz students to learn and develop music skills and knowledge, with classes including big bands, small ensembles, vocal performance, instrumental master classes, and daily workshops on different music subjects. The camp also includes special sessions for students to attend combo rehearsals and theory classes. MJF staff expect total enrollment of 180 young musicians to participate in this valuable music endeavor, keeping classes and ensembles to a small size. The students, ranging in age from 12 to 18 years old, earn one unit of credit from Monterey Peninsula College at the completion of camp.

Students will have the opportunity to show off their newly-honed skills in recital performances for fans, friends and family with free performances by hand-selected vocal solo and combos on June 27 at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas and Big Bands on June 28 at the Pacific Grove Middle School Auditorium. A student jam session, giving instrumentalists and vocalists the opportunity to play in a nightclub environment like the pros, will take place at Monterey Live in downtown Monterey on Monday, June 25 from 6 to 9 PM.

“The Summer Jazz Camp Vocal Solo and Combo concert at the Steinbeck Center is a wonderful opportunity for select students to perform in a public venue where they can display their talents individually or in a small group setting," Said Dr. Rob Klevan, Education Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival. “It's a fun evening, and along with our big bands and vocal jazz ensemble concert the next evening, it's one of my favorite summertime events."

This year's MJF Summer Jazz Camp is distinguished by the presence of the MJF 2007 Artist-in-Residence, Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer, Terence Blanchard. Blanchard wowed packed houses at this year's MJF Next Generation Festival in March 2007, and will inspire young musicians with his open and inclusive approach to jazz education, as well as imparting his wisdom and performance practices to the students during his stay at the Camp, from June 26-28.

The Camp's roster of instructors also includes many of the finest jazz educators in the field. This year's faculty includes saxophonists Paul Contos and Virginia Mayhew, trumpeters Sal Cracchiola, Peck Allmond and Michael Galisatus, trombonist Terry Russell, drummer Vince Lateano, bassist Scott Steed, guitarist Bruce Forman, pianist Joe Bagg, pianist and Monterey Peninsula College instructor Eddie Mendenhall and renowned vocalists Madeline Eastman, Dick Whittington and Julie Kelly. Committed to training instructors in the art of teaching as well, the camp also invites several of the Festival's talented All-Star High School Big Band alumni to mentor younger students. This year the MJF Summer Jazz Camp welcomes trombonist Mark Stotzer, bassist Zach Parkes, and drummer Skylar Campbell to its faculty, in addition to guitarist Tim Fischer and saxophonist Ben Herod.

Reservations for the Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Jazz Camp can be made by contacting Dr. Rob Klevan at the MJF Office at (831) 373-3366 or [email protected].