Many of you know I have been playing with a *fantastic* Latin big band here in the Bay Area called Pacific Mambo Orchestra (www.pacificmambo.com).

We are raising money for a studio album through kickstarter.com

Update – April 15, 2012 – WE ARE 5% AWAY FROM REACHING OUR GOAL! IF YOU HAVE NOT CONTRIBUTED YET, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!

Check it out!

Have had a good time over the last few days in Minneapolis with the Doc Severinsen Big Band. We have been at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis, and have REALLY been having fun playing again with my great friend and drummer extraordinaire, Stockton Helbing. Ernie Watts and Chip McNeil are in the saxophone section and the lead trombonist, Michael Nelson has also played in the horn section for Prince and the NPG for many years. All in all, a VERY good band and have had a good experience.

Had a wonderful time performing at the Jazz Education Network Convention (JEN) in January with the Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra! Some really great music and players in that band. JEN is a great organization for jazz musicians, jazz educators, and jazz lovers –  if you fall into one of those categories, you should consider joining. Check out their site at www.jazzednet.org.

Will be premiering a new work for baritone saxophone and piano at the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Convention this coming March at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. The piece is titled “Fire and Ice” and is composed by a former classmate of mine from the University of Houston, Leonard Mark Lewis.

I am very excited to announce that I have been selected as San Jose Jazz’s new director of their High School All Stars group – an ensemble comprised of some of the best high school jazz musicians in Silicon Valley and the greater Bay Area.

For more information on this ensemble or on audition information, please visit San Jose Jazz.

CMEA Bay Section Directors and Students,

For those of you looking to download the application for the 2012 CMEA Bay Section High School Conference Jazz Ensemble, you have come to the right place!

All audition etudes and the application form may be downloaded below in .pdf format.

Any questions, please contact me.

2012 Conference Jazz Ensemble Letter and Information
CMEA Bay Section Trombone excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Tpt excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Sax Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Piano Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Guitar Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Drum Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Bass Trombone excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Bass Excerpt

On July 24, 2011 I am excited to have a new arrangement of mine premiered at the Carmel Bach Festival. The CBF and the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival commissioned me to do an arrangement of a Bach melody for big band and tenor sax soloist. I decided to use the ground bass and one of the melodic variations from Bach’s Passacaglia in C Minor (BWV 582).

The big band performing the piece will be the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and the tenor sax soloist will be none other than the legendary Joe Lovano. It should be a *great* performance and I am really excited to hear it performed!

For more information about the concert, check out the Carmel Bach Festival webpage.

I am so honored and humbled to announce that I was selected as the 2010-11 California Music Educators Association’s Jazz Educator of the Year!

Many thanks to all of my students, colleagues, friends, and family. I deeply appreciate you all!

CMEA Bay Section Directors and Students,

For those of you looking to download the application for the 201 CMEA Bay Section High School Conference Jazz Ensemble, you have come to the right place!

All audition etudes and the application form may be downloaded below in .pdf format.

Any questions, please contact me.

2012 Conference Jazz Ensemble Letter and Information
CMEA Bay Section Trombone excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Tpt excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Sax Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Piano Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Guitar Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Drum Excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Bass Trombone excerpt
CMEA Bay Section Bass Excerpt

I am excited to announce a special concert with the Aaron Lington Quintet at the San Jose Jazz Festival.

This concert will feature original music from my and Paul Tynan’s newest CD: Bicoastal Collective – Chapter Two. This CD will be available for the first time at the concert and I hope some of you will be able to join us for this exciting event.
Personnel for the concert will be:

Aaron Lington – baritone sax
John Worley – trumpet
Scott Sorkin – guitar
John Shifflett – bass
Jason Lewis – drums

We will be playing on Saturday, August 14 from 4pm-5:30pm on the Smith Dobson Tribute State, which will be in the Downtown San Jose Fairmont Hotel.

See you there!

Have just finished playing two concerts with one of the best big bands with which I have had the pleasure of playing: The Texas Music Festival Jazz Project, directed by Noe Marmolejo. This band is comprised by some of the best players from here in the Houston area and I am always honored Noe has me come in from California to participate with this great group.

We played Monday night at Texas A&M University and Tuesday night at the University of Houston. These concerts were part of the Texas Music Festival. For more information, check out the website for TMF.