Opening night of CJC's 25th Anniversary Celebration! The CJC All-Star Faculty Ensemble kicks off a week of great jazz featuring artists that have served as faculty members here at the CJC, in addition to maintaining successful musical careers.
On this night, the CJC All-Star Faculty Ensemble will present a specially curated night of music for this occasion, which also features the reopening of the beloved Jazzcaffè.
After a two and a half year hiatus, the beloved Jazzcaffè will reopen here at 2040 Addison St. Wine, beer, espresso drinks and Jazzcaffè specials will be available for purchase.
With your ticket purchase you will also receive a gift pack of the artisan, organic energy bar, JAMBAR! (one per family).
Artist Bios
Edward Simon, a native of Venezuela, has made a name for himself over decades in America as a jazz improviser, composer-arranger and band leader, with his profile heightening in recent years as he has explored the commonalities jazz can have with the folkloric sounds of Latin America. JazzTimes summed up his impact this way: “Simon is less talked about than many other important jazz pianists from the Caribbean and South America, but he may be the most complete creative artist among them.”
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, as a member of the all-star SFJAZZ Collective, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow along with being awarded multiple composition grants as part of the Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works initiative. Simon, a Yamaha artist, has recorded 16 albums as a leader or co-leader; his latest is Solo Live, released via Ridgeway Records in October 2021. This follows Simon’s 2020 album 25 Years and his 2016 album Latin American Songbook, with the four-and-a-half-star DownBeat review praising its “grand and sophisticated” sound. Latin American Songbook also won Simon an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. The New York Times has praised Simon’s “light, warm touch” as a pianist, while Jazz Journal International singled out “his deep emotional statements” as a composer and improviser. Simon is a 2021 recipient of Chamber Music Americas New Jazz Works and South Arts Jazz Road Creative Residencies awards. Learn more at edwardsimon.com.
Jeff Denson has balanced a full career as both an acclaimed performing musician and a highly respected educator. Jeff has released 16 albums as a leader or co-leader and has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe with both his own groups, worked with some of jazz’s finest artists such as Brian Blade, Jane Ira Bloom, Dave Douglas, Charles McPherson, Cuong Vu, Joe Lovano, Ralph Alessi, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Vadim Neselovskyi, Florian Weber, Warren Wolf, Romain Pilon, Edward Simon, Dan Weiss, Paul Hanson among others, and had an ongoing relationship with the legendary Lee Konitz since 2007.
Denson has received rave reviews in such periodicals as the Washington Post, NY Times, SF Chronicle, and Downbeat Magazine. He has received such prizes as the German Cultural Award in 2006 and Downbeat Magazine Rising Star Critic's Poll awards for "Electric Bassist," "Male Vocalist" and "Double Bassist" the last four years in a row (2018-2021). Jeff won the Downbeat Rising Star Critic's Poll for Electric Bassist this year, 2021. Jeff also has the unique distinction of being the bassist of the Lee Konitz New Quartet for over twelve years and is currently the Dean of Instruction and Chair of the Bass Department of the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, CA.
“Jeff Denson takes modern jazz to a new level. His many flashes of compositional genius bring much that is fresh, new and unexpected. This makes his music instantly recognizable and shows how deeply Jeff Denson is immersed into the art of composition.”— Stefen Pieper, Jazzthetik, Germany
For more information visit jeffdenson.com
In his All Music bio of Gerald Cleaver, journalist Thom Jurek notes that “Gerald Cleaver is among the most agile and wide-ranging first-call musicians on the 21st century jazz scene.” Jurek goes on to cite year after year of Cleaver’s artistry on recordings and on tour, which witnessed his performing on a dozen or more recordings a year for more than a decade. Cleaver has worked with such jazz luminaries as Rodney Whitaker, Marcus Belgrave, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Burrell, Frank Foster, Cecil Bridgewater, Eddie Harris, Diana Krall, Don Byron and Bill Frisell, among many others.
Cleaver now serves as Chair of the California Jazz Conservatory Drum Department in Berkeley, CA, as the first-ever recipient of the Jennifer A. Maxwell Distinguished Professorship Award.
“Dann Zinn is a game changer, who is taking jazz in new directions.” As a world-class saxophonist/flutist, Zinn is renowned for being a passionate soloist and composer/arranger. Hailed over the years as “inventive,” “distinctive,” and for “creating a stunning and emotional listening experience,” Zinn has developed a unique style distinguishing him as a one of a kind artist with a tone unlike any other horn player on the jazz scene today.
Zinn’s resume includes working with Peter Erskine, Taylor Eigsti, Terri Lynn Carrington, Allison Miller, Derrick Hodge, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Mary Wells, Martha and the Vandellas, and Barry Finnerty, among many others. Zinn has been featured on numerous CDs, and has produced five of his own; Ten Songs, Wish, Grace’s Song, Shangri La, which DownBeat Magazine gave a Four Star review and listed as one of the best albums of 2015. His newest cd, Day Of Reckoning, 2019 on Origin Records, has received rave reviews internationally. Zinn has toured in the US and around the world, and played on distinguished stages including a Top Ten, Must See at the 2015 Monterey Jazz Festival with Peter Erskine, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and Yoshi’s Night Spot, where he has played to sold-out crowds. He has been a guest artist for numerous college and high school festivals around the country.
As an educator, Zinn is currently Director of Jazz Studies at the California State University East Bay, Director of the award winning San Francisco Jazz Festival High School All Star Combo, faculty of the The California Jazz Conservatory, and University of California at Berkeley. Zinn’s private studio is home to multiple winners of full scholarships to the nation’s top Jazz College programs, all-star bands and DownBeat award winners. Zinn and the Art of Saxophone is his critically acclaimed published series of six technique books based on Zinn’s 30 years of teaching experience. It is endorsed by such luminaries as Joshua Redman, Miguel Zenon, Bob Mintzer, and Walter Smith III. Also just released is Dann Zinn’s Big Band Series, with his originals arranged by Nick DePinna. Dann Zinn is a D’Addario Artist. For more information visit dannzinn.com
JAMBAR Presents is a special series of select concerts, workshops and other events sponsored by JAMBAR whose purpose is to support music and active living.
show less
