13th Annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival
April 22-24, 2010
Boise State University Campus
Venues include Stueckle Sky Center RR Ranch Club, Student Union Building, Simplot Grand Ballroom, Lookout Room, and the Special Events Center
Tickets: All-event, package ticket is $140 for three days of jazz with seven different jazz groups.
For BJS members - there is a $10 discount available if you call or email Mike Samball - Phone: 208 426-3498; Email: msamball@boisestate.edu
Free parking will be available on campus
The Monty Alexander Trio
On opening night, Thursday April 22nd, listen to The Monty Alexander Trio at the Stueckle Sky Center RR Ranch Club from 7-9 pm.
In a career spanning five decades, pianist Monty Alexander has built a reputation exploring and bridging the worlds of American jazz, popular song and the music of his native Jamaica, finding in each a sincere spirit of musical expression. In the process, he has performed and recorded with artists from every corner of the musical universe and entertainment world: Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Quincy Jones, Bill Cosby, Bobby McFerrin and Sly Dunbar, among others.
Alexander maintains an active touring schedule, from intimate jazz clubs to concert halls and jazz festivals around the globe. His collaborations span multiple genres, styles and generations. His projects have been as varied as assisting Natalie Cole in her tribute album to her father, Nat King Cole in 1991 (the resulting album, “Unforgettable,” won seven Grammy awards), performing George Gershwin's “Rhapsody in Blue” under the direction of Bobby McFerrin at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland and recording the piano track for the film score of Clint Eastwood's “Bird,” a movie about the life of jazz titan Charlie Parker.
As a leader, Alexander has recorded over 60 albums to date. His 1976 Montreux (Switzerland) Jazz Festival performance with drummer Jeff Hamilton and bassist John Clayton has become one of the most celebrated live recordings in contemporary jazz. His most recent albums on the Telarc label include trio sessions, such as “Impressions in Blue,” and the live concert recording “Goin' Yard.” In the late summer of 2005, Alexander traveled to Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston, Jamaica, and teamed up with top Jamaican session players to record “Concrete Jungle,” a set of 12 Bob Marley compositions reinterpreted through Alexander's jazz piano-centered arrangements. The resulting union of musical perspectives digs deep into the Marley legend and brings together the two worlds that Alexander most treasures, building the musical bridges that are the very essence of his craft. As a testament to his versatility, “The Good Life” on Chesky Records is a collection of songs written and popularized by one of his all-time favorite artists and good friends, Tony Bennett. His current release on Chesky is “Calypso Blues,” a tribute to his hero Nat Cole.
This over-21 affair is co-sponsored by the Boise Jazz Society (members receive a $10 discount on tickets).
Visit the trio's website at montyalexander.com.
Doug Beavers’ Latin Jazz Orchestra
In exceedingly high demand as a cutting-edge trombonist as well as an internationally renowned producer, composer, orchestrator and "arranger of the first-class" (Harvey Siders, JazzTimes), Doug Beavers has become known for a meticulous attention to quality and his "unsurpassed work ethic" (Jim Harrington, The Concert Blog) in his music. These defining qualities have recently earned him a Grammy award for his work on Latin legend Eddie Palmieri's star-studded release “Listen Here” (2006), as well as the opportunity to perform, tour, record and collaborate with world-class musicians including Palmieri (“La Perfecta II,” “Ritmo Caliente,” “Listen Here”), Rosemary Clooney (“Sentimental Journey,” “The Last Concert”), Mingus Big Band, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Arturo Sandoval, Brian Culbertson, Pete Escovedo and countless others. His first studio production, “Jazz, Baby!” (2007, Origin Records), was dedicated to young fans of jazz and big band swing and has received extensive radio airplay in the United States, in addition to being reviewed by a wealth of jazz and children's publications.
Beavers decided to dedicate his life to music upon turning down a full scholarship to attend the University of California, Davis to study electrical engineering. On a chance hearing of John Coltrane's “Crescent” on the radio, Beavers pulled off the road that led to UC Davis and made a literal and figurative U-turn. The next day he was accepted to California State University, East Bay (formally Hayward) and would go on to earn his bachelor's degree in music, studying classical trombone with San Francisco Opera bass trombonist Dave Ridge and jazz arranging with renowned arranger Dave Eshelman. Feeling the need to expand his musical scope further, he set his sights on establishing a career in New York City.
Join us to hear all of these world-class jazz artists playing a diversity of jazz styles; swing, bop, blues, fusion, funk, and Latin jazz!
Visit the orchestra's website at dougbeavers.com.
Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns 
For 30 years Santa Fe has been one of Las Vegas' Crown Jewels, never giving less than 100 percent to audiences. This band has been a "farm club" for many big acts, shows and bands and many incredible musicians have honored its ranks. The latest incarnation of this band features a six-piece horn section and an eight-piece rhythm section that includes four lead singers. This is no ordinary band.
In the words of founder and leader Jerry Lopez: “This band is the culmination of the dreams of all of the individual musicians in the band. We all dreamed about what the “ideal” gig would be, and it went something like this: To play music that moved, challenged and inspired us without the usual external restrictions, influences or boundaries that come with every other (paying) gig,... To make that music with people we love and respect both personally and musically. And to be able to share it with others.”
That is what Santa Fe & the Fat City horns is about. The band is a throwback to all the horn bands that influenced them all growing up, as well as a tribute to musical heroes and friends mixed with their own music and arrangements. Old School and raw, but polished with pride and discipline. “I wanted to have the enthusiasm and excitement I had when I was 17 years old about my music!” Lopez said.
The band has never had publicity or marketing of any kind, and continues to fill the rooms it plays in by word of mouth alone. Most of the audiences are made up of talented musicians and entertainers from all walks of life, and Jerry has been known to remark more than once that "half the audience could do this gig,” and if you look at the people that make up this band's audience, you know he means it. Great music is medicine for the heart, soul and mind. And Santa Fe & T.F.C.H. brings it.
Visit the band's website at santafeandthefatcityhorns.com.
Gabriel Alegria's Afro-Peruvian Sextet
One of the most influential figures on the current jazz scene in Perú, Gabriel Alegria was born into an artistic family in Lima in 1970. Alegria’s grandfather Ciro was Peru’s most famous novelist and his father Alonso is Perú’s most acclaimed playwright.
Alegria’s current recording “Nuevo Mundo” on Saponegro Records soared to the top of both Jazz Week World Music charts and CMJ’s jazz charts, staying on the air for more than six months. The CD includes collaborations with jazz artists Tierney Sutton, Bobby Shew, Russell Ferrante and Bill Watrous as well as with the formidable native Afro-Peruvian artists Freddy “Huevito” Lobaton (Peruvian percussion – cajon, quijada, cajita), Hugo Alcazar (drums), Jocho Velazquez (acoustic guitar) and Joscha Oetz (bass). The CD, which includes six compositions by Alegria and his Afro-Peruvian jazz arrangement of the Gershwin classic “Summertime,” represents his most varied work as a trumpeter and composer to date.
During the course of a career that has spanned the globe, Alegria has appeared in concert and/or on recordings with Maria Schneider, Placido Domingo, Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Tierney Sutton, Natalie Cole, The Peruvian National Symphony, Bill Watrous, John Thomas, Russ Ferrante and Alex Acuña. Most recently, he completed the groundbreaking “Tour Peru,” a new model in touring that included 40 fans that accompanied the Afro-Peruvian Sextet throughout Peru. He also has performed concerts for the United Nations and various diplomatic missions from around the world.
The Afro-Peruvian Sextet has appeared in more than 300 concerts and master classes throughout North America. Alegria combines his experience playing jazz as it developed in the U.S. with a passionate interest and careful study of the black music of coastal Perú. By incorporating and exploring the common African roots found in both styles, he has developed a uniquely Afro-Peruvian jazz music concept. The rich legacy of the black music of coastal Perú can be heard in a contemporary jazz context. In all of Alegria’s work, a cross-cultural exchange between the Americas is always present, carefully defining Afro-Peruvian jazz music as the newest voice to come from Latin America.
Currently associate director of jazz studies at New York University, Alegria earned a doctorate in jazz studies from the University of Southern California, a master’s degree from the City University of New York and a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College. His knowledge of Afro-Peruvian music is the result of fieldwork and time spent in Perú learning from the art form’s greatest exponents.
Visit the band's website at gabrielalegria.com.
Bill Anschell/Brent Jensen Duo 
The Bill Anschell/Brent Jensen duo is now touring in support of their critically acclaimed CD, "We Couldn't Agree More." Both are experienced touring artists and educators.
Pianist Bill Anschell has performed in premiere jazz festivals and clubs throughout the U.S. and abroad, including five South American tours leading his own trio and six European tours as pianist/musical director for vocalist Nnenna Freelon. Anschell's composing and piano work are prominently featured on Freelon's 1996 Grammy-nominated recording "Shaking Free," and his own CDs have all enjoyed critical acclaim and extensive stays on the national jazz radio charts. Anschell, a Seattle native, returned to the Emerald City in 2002 after a long residency in Atlanta, Georgia. He received a Golden Ear Award as the "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year" in 2005, and his trio was named "Northwest Acoustic Jazz Ensemble of the Year" in 2006.
Saxophonist Brent Jensen studied with Lee Konitz in New York City in 1986-87 on a grant awarded to him by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. He was a winner of the "Woodwinds on Fire" international talent search conducted by "Jazziz" magazine in 1996. Jensen's debut release on Origin records, "The Sound of a Dry Martini: Remembering Paul Desmond," was featured on JazzWeek's Top 100 and NPR's JazzWorks' Top 25 lists in 2002. His recording, "One More Mile" (also on Origin) features Anschell on piano and was named one of the "Top 50 Jazz CDs of 2007" by the "Village Voice." Jensen is an assistant professor of music at the College of Southern Idaho.
Visit the Bill Anschell/Brent Jensen Duo web page at billanschell.com/Anschell-JensenDuo.htm.
Diverse
Diverse is a quintet made up of like-minded musicians who create music with feelings and emotions that connect with many people. They play with a blend of styles and genres to create music that finds wider appeal without sacrificing the integrity of their musicality. The members of Diverse are able to create a contemporary and unique sound while keeping the jazz tradition alive through their Kansas City roots. Diverse just released a self-titled album on Origin Records that features Bobby Watson as the producer and as a guest artist on one track. This project with Origin Records was a result of Diverse winning the 2008 Gene Harris Jazz Competition held in Boise that consisted of 11 competing groups from around the country.
Visit the quintent's website at diversehjazz.com.
Visit the Gene Harris website for more information and to listen to the
audio sampler: http://www.geneharris.org/ .
As we move into early summer, June, Sunday the 13th, the Boise Jazz Society is scheduled to present pianist Joanne Brackeen.
Visit her website at joannebrackeenjazz.com.
