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| a nonprofit presenter of
jazz artistic and education programs |
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| All-Star Ensembles
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Young Composers Project
(L-R) Julian Pollack (piano), Pat Carroll (alto
sax), Nicholas DePinna (trombone), Hitomi Oba (tenor saxophone) with
Michael Davis (drums) and Joe Costantini (bass)
The SFJAZZ All-Star High School Ensembles provide some of the nation’s finest young musicians with an opportunity to hone their chops while learning from some of the most creative minds in jazz. All-Star alumnus Nicholas DePinna, a UCLA student double-majoring in jazz and classical composition, says SFJAZZ educational programs benefited him in more ways than he can count. “The two most important things were being able to play with really cool musicians on a regular basis; of equal importance was meeting lots of people at my age level who were far better than me, which just kept me working to try and hang with them.” But the benefits of SFJAZZ education don’t end at high school. A commission to compose music for the nationally renowned literacy organization Youth Speaks spurred SJAZZ to create a finishing school environment for its All-Star alumni. Based on the same educational model of its ensemble, the fledgling program would train participants in the fundamentals of jazz composition. Dozens of submissions from current and past members of the All-Star High School Ensembles were narrowed to four talented artists: Pat Carroll, alto saxophone; DePinna, trombone; Hitomi Oba, tenor saxophone; and Julian Pollack, piano. “These kids are way beyond their years,” said Interim Director of Education, Drew Foxman. “The depth, scope, and range of their ideas, and who they are as people…it’s kind of mind-boggling.” Throughout the 2005-2006 academic year the four students, newly dubbed the SFJAZZ Young Composers Project, convened in San Francisco for rehearsals, workshops and a series of master classes with esteemed jazz musicians and composers including Vijay Iyer, Maria Schneider, Ravi Coltrane and SFJAZZ Collective member Miguel Zenón. The compositions that took shape over the eight months are as distinctive as their composers, and yet maintain an impressive thematic unity. Innovative and forward-looking, the original pieces are deeply rooted in jazz traditions while maintaining a distinctively modern edge. Pianist Pollack, an incoming freshman at NYU’s Gallatin School, described his approach to composition. “I don’t want to fuse styles together; I want them to naturally come together and create something that’s really original. I also want it to be something that people can really understand, not just the esoteric ‘modern jazz’ group.” Oba, a recent graduate of UCLA with an ethnomusicology degree, attributed the project’s vitality to its clear sense of purpose. “Most of the other programs I’ve been a part of have been more of a general developmental environment. This has really been towards a specific goal and so we’ve been able to take a lot of really practical steps towards getting to it.” After months of composing and rehearsal, the Young Composers’ expectations for their debut concert, this coming Monday, August 14, 2006, are extremely high. But rather than a commencement, the show is just one more exciting step in the musical development of this dynamic young ensemble—and SFJAZZ’s educational programs. Saxophonist Carroll, a student at the Berklee School of Music, nicely summed up the appeal of working with SFJAZZ: “It’s just been endless opportunities. I thought after the All-Star band it was over. Two years out of high school and I’m still involved with SFJAZZ. I feel very rooted to this program.”
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Hitomi Oba
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