Early Bird Concert Series
(For the 2008 Early Bird Concert Schedule, visit the 2008 Stanford Jazz Festival concert page.)

Here at SJW introducing young listeners to jazz is fundamental to our organization's endeavors, and our Early Bird concert series was developed just for this purpose (and to offer families the opportunity to attend a jazz music event together free of charge). These Saturday morning concerts are split into two consecutive hour-long sessions, the first for ages one through seven, and the second for ages eight through twelve (though children of any age are welcome at both). Recognizing that children may have varying attention spans, the atmosphere is an informal one, and people may come and go at any time. We offer two Early Bird concerts each festival season, the first of which is an introduction to jazz led by Stanford Jazz Workshop's founder, Jim Nadel. Jim and his group (as seen in the photographs pictured here) acquaint the audience with the most frequently encountered jazz band and orchestra instruments and the sounds they produce, including brass (trumpet, trombone and bass, tenor, alto & soprano saxophones), along with flute, piano, violin, cello, upright bass, percussion, drums and voice. A varied set of songs, including favorites familiar to children such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Row Row Row Your Boat and standards such as You Are My Sunshine, are interspersed with classic jazz charts including Lester Leaps In and When the Saints Go Marchin' In. The lively rapport between the audience and the performers on stage turns up the fun for what has become one of SJW's most popular events.