The California Jazz Conservator Presents I Am The Octopus at Rendon Hall

"I Am The Octopus" is a quartet from the SF Bay Area consisting of Caleb Phair on keyboards, Carson Grimes on drums, Jonny Kaminek on bass, and Nathan Petersen on alto sax. All are Bay Area musicians who have studied music at accomplished college programs in California, including the CJC. "I Am The Octopus" has been described as “funky, creative electric jazz.” They are excited to showcase their original music at the CJC.

Caleb Phair is an accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Diablo Valley College and then transferred to CSU Sacramento, where he studied with Dr. Joe Gilman. Since graduating he has been playing and performing consistently in the Bay Area in a variety of contexts, including jazz bands, studio sessions, chamber groups, pit orchestras, and more. He is currently expanding his musical skills and compositional voice with I Am The Octopus....

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"I Am The Octopus" is a quartet from the SF Bay Area consisting of Caleb Phair on keyboards, Carson Grimes on drums, Jonny Kaminek on bass, and Nathan Petersen on alto sax. All are Bay Area musicians who have studied music at accomplished college programs in California, including the CJC. "I Am The Octopus" has been described as “funky, creative electric jazz.” They are excited to showcase their original music at the CJC.

Caleb Phair is an accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended Diablo Valley College and then transferred to CSU Sacramento, where he studied with Dr. Joe Gilman. Since graduating he has been playing and performing consistently in the Bay Area in a variety of contexts, including jazz bands, studio sessions, chamber groups, pit orchestras, and more. He is currently expanding his musical skills and compositional voice with I Am The Octopus.

Carson Grimes has been playing music around Sacramento and the Bay Area for years. He is a versatile musician and has performed with many different kinds of bands, playing anything from from jazz to punk. Carson is currently studying at the California Jazz Conservatory.

Jonny Kaminek’s life in music began by starting a band with friends in early schooling years: first adopting the electric bass before practicing upright and continuing to seek new possibilities with his instrument. Currently pursuing his degree at the California Jazz Conservatory, he enjoys playing jazz, funk, the in-betweens, and likes to take on opportunities that challenge his familiar musical zone while adding his zest to whatever group he finds himself in. He’s influenced by the bass playing of Ron Carter, Victor Wooten, and Paul Jackson among many others and the music of George Duke, Ahmad Jamal, and Herbie Hancock. Jonny looks forward to sharing his compositions that aim to explore music as a means to understand the experience of life and appreciates the community that evolves from the cooperative effort of live music.

Nathan Petersen is a saxophonist from Concord, CA who has been performing professionally in the SF Bay Area for almost ten years. After high school he studied music at Diablo Valley College and transferred to the California Jazz Conservatory, where he got to tour in Japan and play at events such as the Monterey Jazz Festival. Nathan graduated from the CJC in 2021 and has since been been playing at venues all across the SF Bay Area.

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