Happy December, a month chock full of chances to see Roosevelt Jazz musicians out in the community. Our ensembles have been busy preparing, and they are eager to share their hard work and love of this music with you!
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It’s Jazz Nutcracker Season
What a great October for Roosevelt Jazz! Thanks to everyone out there for the support you gave our students at Tula’s, the Edmonds Jazz Symposium, the Earshot Festival concert with Jovino Santos Neto, the UW Jazz Festival, and the Pumpkinseed concerts. But now all that is in the rear view, and we are full steam ahead to Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. And that means it’s Jazz Nutcracker season.
If you haven’t yet seen Roosevelt Jazz perform the Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn Jazz Nutcracker, then this year ought to be the year you change that! Join us in our festive annual tradition. Make it part of your annual tradition. You will not be disappointed. Tickets are on sale now!
Non-Stop!
This October has been full up. Jazz Bands 3 & 4 performed at Tula’s; we hosted Allison Miller and Boom Tic Boom for an amazing workshop; everyone packed the Stone Way Café for a jam session; and students have been out in the community playing gigs and taking in the Earshot Jazz Festival. Did anyone catch Jazzmeia Horn? Or George Garzone?
And it keeps going!
- Jazz Bands 3 & 4 perform at the Edmonds Jazz Symposium on October 27th, and will also have a chance to check out the JazzED College Summit + Audition Workshop being held at the Symposium.
- Jazz Band 1 performs with Jovino Santos Neto at RHS on October 29th at 7pm, as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival. Get your tickets now!
- Jazz Band 2 will attend the UW Jazz Festival on November 1st.
- Our directors perform with Maria Schneider and SRJO, November 3rd and 4th.
- Vocal Jazz will head out to Bremerton for the Bremerton Vocal Jazz Festival on November 17th.
Don’t worry, it doesn’t all come to a halt after that! We’ll take a short breather for Thanksgiving (except for the kids who also march with the Roosevelt Roughrider Band, who’ll be out in force at the Macy’s Holiday Parade). Then we’ll be back with more jams, gigs, performances at the Green Lake Pathway of Lights, and of course the Jazz Nutcracker. Hope to see you there! Yes, at all of it!
Need More Jazz?
Rainy season is starting up, the days are growing shorter, and you might be starting to wonder what is going to get you through another gray Seattle winter. Jazz will help.
Get yourself out to a show. The Earshot folks have just kicked off their 30th Earshot Jazz Festival. They’ve got this thing figured out! With events going all over town every single night through November 4th, there is bound to be something up your Alley. Be sure to get your tickets for the October 29th Earshot show featuring the Roosevelt Jazz Band with Jovino Santos Neto.
You could stop in at Tula’s to see Jazz Bands 3 and 4 open for the Mark Taylor/Michael Van Bebber Quintet. And check out what’s going on at The Royal Room. Or take in an SRJO show. They’re in concert with Maria Schneider in November. That’s right, Maria Schneider! The Saturday 11/3 show at Benaroya is sold out but right now, as I type this, there are still a few tickets left for the Sunday 11/4 show in Kirkland.
If you want to play more jazz, there are lots of opportunities for that too! Register for a JazzED ensemble. Placements take place on November 17th and 18th. Or, find a jam session. You can start with the next Roosevelt Jam at the Stone Way Café on Wednesday October 24th from 7:30-9:30pm. And there’s the North Seattle Youth Jam in Greenwood on the 2nd Sunday of every month. Naturally, JazzED has a few jam sessions this year in addition to everything else they do.
Look around! We are lucky to be alive here in this grey, green, rainy city full of jazz. And coffee.
Update your calendars!
There are a few updates to the jazz calendar you ought to know about.
Our next parent meeting on 10/2 will start at 7pm instead of the usual 7:30pm. We’ll have a special guest, Assistant Principal Roy Merca. Mr. Merca will talk about volunteer chaperone guidelines, with a focus on overnight field trips. If you’re considering being a chaperone on a trip this year (please do, we are going to need chaperones), you should attend this meeting. SPS requires that every potential chaperone have a meeting with a school administrator to discuss chaperone guidelines. This parent meeting is an efficient way to fulfill this requirement!
Jazz Bands 3 and 4 perform at Tula’s on Tuesday October 16th. Musicians should arrive at 7pm; the performance begins at 7:30pm. Yep, you should make reservations for the show, and there is a $12 cover charge for non-performers. Directors Mark Taylor and Michael Van Bebber will have more details for us soon.
All jazz students are invited to a workshop, led by drummer Allison Miller and pianist Dawn Clement, on Saturday October 20th from 1-4pm, in the RHS band room. The focus will be on the rhythm section and smaller combos. Knowing these two musician educators, there will be something for everyone, so horn players and vocalists should consider attending too!
The October jam session at Stone Way Café has been moved to Wednesday October 24th, 7:30-9:30pm. So, no jam on 10/17. Come a week later, 10/24, instead.
On Saturday, October 27th, Jazz Bands 3 and 4 will attend the Edmonds Jazz Symposium at Mountlake Terrace High School. Students may also want to check out the JazzED College Summit and Audition Workshop being held that same day at Mountlake Terrace High School. Note that for anyone not in JB3 or JB4, there is a separate registration and payment with JazzED required if you wish to attend the College Summit event. (JB3 and JB4 kids can attend without a separate payment and registration, since they are officially registered with the festival.)
Finally, on Monday, October 29th, Jazz Band 1 performs with pianist Jovino Santos Neto as part of the Earshot Jazz Festival. The show starts at 7pm in the Roosevelt High School Theater. Get your tickets now and come on out for a great evening of jazz.