Congratulations to RHS Jazz Band 1 for receiving multiple awards at EE!
Well done!!!
Related: Seattle Times article
JAZZed Magazine has published the results of its reader’s poll and the winner of the Best High School Jazz Program category is… Roosevelt High School! Congratulations!! The full article can be found here.
We have our first jam session of the school year scheduled for Oct. 14!
The Roosevelt Jazz program will once again hold monthly jam sessions at the Stone Way Cafe. These sessions, which are held on the second Wednesday of the month, are a chance for the musicians to try playing in a combo and soloing in a supportive club setting. Musicians from all four groups are welcome. They should bring their instruments (except for rhythm section) and their Real Books. People will rotate in and out, depending upon who shows up on a given night. Michael Van Bebber is coordinating the session.
This year, jam sessions will have a new twist with regular guest mentor band, The Cantaloupes. Our first gathering will start on October 14 with The Cantaloupes playing from 6:30 to 7:30 followed by the jam session from 7:30 to 9:30.
Additionally the Cantaloupes will be playing on Oct 28th at 7:30. RHS students are welcome to play too.
We plan on continuing having twice monthly sessions on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. Please come on out!
Stone Way Cafe, http://www.stonewaycafe.com/
3510 Stone Way North
Seattle, WA 98103
206-420-4435
We are very excited to welcome Michael Van Bebber as our JB2/3 director!
Michael was raised in Seattle, and graduated from the University of Washington before going on to earn two M.A. degrees in classical trumpet and composition at Truman State University, and a D.M.A. in Jazz Studies from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. He performed many years as a member of the renowned Eastman Jazz Ensemble, and has shared the stage with many notable jazz artists including Lee Konitz, John Pizzarelli, the Woody Herman Band, Walt Weiskopf, Chuck Mangione, Jeff Beal, Walter White, John Fedchock, Pat LaBarbara, Marvin Stamm, and Bill Dobbins. He has also appeared several times at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, in both quintet and big band settings.
Michael is a member of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. As a composer, he has earned several prestigious awards in composition, including the 2004 MACRO Composition/Theory Award, the 2005 CBDNA Wind Ensemble National Composition Competition, the 2005 College Music Society’s International Composition Competition. Michael has been the director of the Junior Jazz Band at Washington Middle School, the Director of Bands at Liberty High School and the interim director for JB2 last year. Michael is currently on the faculty of Northwest school.