Stanford Jazz Festival
June 27 – August 9, 2008
Tickets on sale: May 12, 2008
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Each year, as Stanford Jazz Workshop
commences upon another season – 2008 being our 37th – I’m
reminded of the legendary musicians who have appeared at the Stanford
Jazz Festival. Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Ray Brown,
Joe Williams, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Phil Woods, Charlie Haden, McCoy
Tyner, and Milt Jackson are just a few of the jazz pioneers who have
performed at Stanford. But in recent years, I find myself increasingly
delighted by the roster of young talent we feature.
This summer,
we’ve assembled one of our finest festivals ever, and much
of it hinges on outstanding players in their 20s, 30s and early 40s.
These musicians are, in their own way, pioneers as well, forging
new directions for the music while honoring the traditions we recognize
as essential to jazz. I want to thank bassist Larry Grenadier – who
at age 42 is among the “oldest” of the “young” musicians
I’ll be mentioning – for helping me to assemble the core
of musicians who make up the last week of the Festival (and who will
also be teaching at our Jazz Residency educational program). Larry
is a Bay Area native and Stanford University alum and was active
with SJW as a teenager back in the 80s, when he was already beginning
to play professionally. Now, he’s at the vanguard of
jazz, performing regularly with the likes of Brad Mehldau and Pat
Metheny. We’re happy to feature Larry this summer with some
of his favorite colleagues: saxophonists
Joshua Redman and Mark
Turner; drummers Jeff
Ballard and Bill Stewart,
and pianist
Jason Moran.
You’ll find other promising young performers
featured throughout the course of the festival: 3
Cohens;
Geoffrey Keezer Quartet with special guest Joe
Locke; Tia
Fuller and Healing Space. You may also recognize names
from previous years as so many of the younger Festival performers
are regular faculty members at our educational programs. We’ve
seen, to a certain extent, these players “grow up” at
SJW over the past decade, and they’ve become an integral part
of our jazz community. Try to check out Yosvany
Terry; Dayna
Stephens; Taylor Eigsti and Julian
Lage;
and Ambrose Akinmusire, winner of
the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition.
Of course, the 2008 Stanford Jazz Festival will
also include artists who have already made a lasting mark on the
music (and who are not necessarily “old” or “older”).
Opening night with trumpeter Terence Blanchard;
a rare solo show by pianist Mulgrew Miller;
NEA Jazz Master guitarist
Kenny Burrell; saxophonist Gary
Bartz with pianist George Cables; drummer Tootie
Heath; and bebop masters, Barry
Harris and Charles McPherson (8.4).We hope to see
you at Stanford this summer!
Jim Nadel, Director
Buy Tickets Now
Online: 
By phone: 650.725.ARTS (2787)
In Person: Stanford
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