s e n o J . R . R Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 8pm Zellerbach Hall Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour featuring Cécile McLorin Salvant, Bria Skonberg, Melissa Aldana, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura, and Jamison Ross Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals Bria Skonberg, trumpet Melissa Aldana, tenor saxophone Christian Sands, piano, music director Yasushi Nakamura, bass Jamison Ross, drums Tonight’s performance and will last approximately 90 minutes. ere will be no intermission. Cal Performances’ 2018 –19 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo. 15 ABOUT THE ARTISTS The Monterey Jazz Festival , the longest contin - the lineage of the Big ree—Billie Holiday, uously running jazz festival in the world, pre - Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald—it is [her],” sents its fih national tour from March 15 – wrote the New York Times. Cécile’s three Mack April 14, 2019, featuring some of the most crit - Avenue releases— For One to Love, Dreams and ically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning and Daggers, and e Window— each won Grammy Grammy-nominated jazz artists of their gener - Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Rolling Stone ation, including three winners of the elonious describes Cécile as “…one of the greatest jazz Monk International Jazz Com pe tition. singers of her generation, but that label sells her short.” Cécile made her Monterey Jazz Festival e MJF on Tour 60th Anniversary Celebration debut in 2014 and appeared again in 2016. features a top roster of diverse and international talent and the leaders of jazz’s future, including Canadian singer, trumpeter, and songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocals; Bria Skonberg, Bria Skonberg has been described as one of the trumpet and vocals; Melissa Aldana, tenor sax - “most versatile and imposing musicians of her ophone; music director Christian Sands, piano; generation” by the Wall Street Journal ; recog - Yasushi Nakamura, bass; and Jamison Ross, nized as one of “25 For the Future” by DownBeat drums and vocals. Magazine; and cited as a millennial “shaking up In addition to including three unique and the jazz world” by Vanity Fair . Signed to Sony talented vocalists, as well as an equal balance Music Masterworks’ OKeh Records, Bria re - of men and women, the tour will feature rendi - leased her eponymous major label debut in tions of classic jazz standards along with origi - 2016, winning a Canadian JUNO award and nals penned by the members. ese musicians hitting the Top 5 on the Billboard jazz charts. are outstanding representatives of the next gen - Her many accolades include Best Vocal and eration of jazz artists and educators, and each Best Trumpet awards from Hot House Jazz has a close relationship with Monterey that re - Magazine , Outstanding Jazz Artist at the New flects both the festival’s musical excellence and York Bistro Awards, and DownBeat ’s Rising Star its dedication to jazz education activities— Award. In addition to performing at jazz festi - core components of the organization’s mission vals around the world, Bria is an avid educator statement. and supporter of public school opportunities, Previous incarnations of the festival’s touring giving numerous workshops and concerts for activities include a 50th anniversary tour in students of all ages. Bria debuted at the Mon - 2008, and additional national tours in 2010, terey Jazz Festival in 2016. 2013, and 2016, with a collective 163 perform - ances to over 115,000 fans across the country. Tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana was born in Santiago, Chile. In 2013, she became the first One of the most acclaimed vocalists of her gen - female instrumentalist and the first South eration, Cécile McLorin Salvant is the winner American ever to win the elonious Monk of the 2010 elonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Melissa attended the Berklee Col - Competition. Other honors include selection lege of Music, studying with George Garzone, for Jazz Album of the Year by the DownBeat Danilo Pérez, and Patricia Zarate, while hitting International Critics Poll and NPR, as well as the clubs with Greg Osby and George Coleman, Up-and-Coming Jazz Artist of the Year and among others. She is also a recipient of the Top Female Vocalist from the Jazz Journalists Martin E. Segal Award from Jazz at Lincoln Association. Cécile grew up in a bilingual Center and a double recipient of the Altazor household in Miami and traveled to Aix-en- Award, Chile’s prestigious national arts prize. Provence to pursue a degree in French law She has released four albums as a leader, in - while training as a classical and Baroque singer cluding her latest, Back Home , on Concord. before switching to jazz. “If anyone can extend Melissa “…balances technical bravura with mu - 15b PLAYBILL ABOUT THE ARTISTS sical depth, a hallmark of her playing,” writes pated album debut as leader in late 2016 with A the Chicago Tribune . She made her MJF debut Lifetime Treasure , followed by Home town in in 2014. 2017. Yasushi first appeared at MJF in 2004. Pianist Christian Sands is a five-time Grammy Grammy-nominated drummer and vocalist nominee. He began music classes at age four Jamison Ross won the elonious Monk Inter - in New Haven, Connec ticut, started playing national Jazz Competition in 2012. A Jack - professionally at the age of 10, and received sonville, Florida native, Jamison received his his bachelor of arts and master’s degrees from BA in jazz studies from Florida State University the Manhattan School of Music. A protege and his master’s from the University of New of Dr. Billy Taylor, Christian began a six-year Orleans. He has toured internationally and association with bassist Christian McBride in recorded with a variety of esteemed jazz artists, 2009, touring jazz festivals and clubs world - including Cécile McLorin Salvant, Jonathan wide. Christian has followed in Dr. Taylor’s Batiste, Dr. John, Jon Cleary, Christian McBride, footsteps by encouraging, inspiring, and advo - and Carmen Lundy. His debut album, Jamison , cating for the preservation and history of jazz, was released on Concord Records and was teaching young people as well as adult audi - nominated as for a Best Jazz Vocal Album ences. In 2015, he started the Jazz Kids of Grammy in 2015. Jamison released his latest Montmartre in Copen hagen, Denmark; he also album, All for One , in January 2018. His “roots teaches at Jazz in July, where he is an alumnus. in jazz and gospel give him thrilling chops and Christian’s recent debut for Mack Avenue, unfailing feel,” writes NPR. Jamison made his Reach , “showcases his significant talents as an MJF debut in 2016. imaginative composer, a clever arranger and a skillful technician with a fluid style,” wrote About Monterey Jazz Festival’s DownBeat . His new Mack Avenue release, Education Programs Facing Dragons, was released last September World-renowned for its artistic excellence, and was reviewed by NPR as a “…crisply as - sophisticated informality, and longstanding sured new album…that expresses new ideas mission to create and support year-round jazz without abandoning the old.” Christian has education and performance programs in local, performed several times at the Monterey Jazz regional, national, and international venues, Festival with Christian McBride, and was a fea - the Monterey Jazz Festival has stayed true to its tured performer in Geri Allen’s Erroll Garner mission of expanding live performances of jazz Project at MJF in 2015. around the country since 2008 by presenting national tours that have reached over 100,000 Bassist Yasushi Nakamura is one of the most fans in 135 concerts across the United States commanding voices on bass today. Born in and Canada. Tokyo, Yasushi moved to Seattle, Washington, e Monterey Jazz Festival has presented eventually receiving his bachelor’s degree in nearly every major jazz star—from Billie Holiday jazz performance from the Berklee College of and Louis Armstrong to Esperanza Spalding Music, and an artist diploma from the Juilliard and Trombone Shorty—since it was founded in School. He has recorded or performed around 1958. Held every third full weekend in Septem - the world with Wynton Marsalis, Wycliffe ber on the Monterey County Fair grounds, the Gordon, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Hank Jones, Dave festival is a three-day celebration of music, Douglas, and many others. As an educator, commissioned jazz compositions, in-depth Yasushi has led master classes and summer conversations with artists, panel discussions, intensive courses at Juilliard, e New School, work shops, exhibitions, clinics, and an interna - Koyo Conservatory, Osaka Geidai, and Savan - tional array of food, shopping, and festivities nah Swing Central. He made his highly-antici - spread over 20 acres. 16 ABOUT THE ARTISTS A nonprofit organization, the Monterey Jazz A leader in jazz education, the festival has Festival now budgets more than $500,000 an - also presented the winning bands from its high nually for jazz education programs. Cutting- school competition since 1971, and has show - edge educational components include the Jazz cased talented young musicians in its all-star in the Schools program; the festival’s Summer student big band, the Next Generation Jazz Jazz Camp; the Instrument and Sheet Music Orchestra. roughout the years, many leg - Library; the Digital Education Music Project; endary and influential artists—including Ray the Monterey County High School All-Star Brown, Ron Carter, Max Roach, Dizzy Gilles - Bands; the national Next Generation Jazz Or - pie, and Benny Golson —have mentored and chestra; and the Next Generation Jazz Festi val, performed with the all-star students, oen which draws thousands of the most talented premiering original works written for the band. young musicians from across the country and Past members of the group include Ambrose around the world to Monterey each spring. Akinmusire, Joshua Redman, Patrice Rushen, e Artist-In-Residence Program, a key Donny McCaslin, Ted Nash, Dave Koz, Eric component of the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Marienthal, Gordon Goodwin, Larry Grena - dedication to bringing leading jazz performers dier, and Benny Green, to name a few.