Program Notes: Kind of Blue - In Concert

PROGRAM (Selections to be announced from the stage.)

GILBERT CASTELLANOS

Saturday, April 28 | 8PM

KIND OF BLUE – IN CONCERT A Jazz @ The Jacobs Concert Gilbert Castellanos, Series Curator

trumpet Gilbert Castellanos alto saxophone James Mahone tenor saxophone Charles McNeal percussion Roy McCurdy bass George DeLancey piano Gerald Clayton

Performance at the Jacobs Music Center's Copley Symphony Hall

The Jazz @ The Jacobs Series is sponsored by Doctor Bob and Mao Shillman.

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PROGRAM NOTES | KIND OF BLUE – IN CONCERT – APRIL 28

ABOUT THE ARTISTS GILBERT CASTELLANOS is the leading top-call jazz musician, band leader, composer, producer, and educator on the local and international circuit. Zan Stewart of the Los Angeles Times says: "[Castellanos] plays with élan, evincing a more individual, ever-large sound offering hard swinging, often ear-grabbing solos...[proving] that music with deep roots in jazz's glorious '50s and '60s can sound completely contemporary today."

Recognized as a new American master by Downbeat magazine, Mr. Castellanos is also a strong advocate of promoting and educating various communities about Jazz: “America’s classical music,” as he calls it. Mr. Castellanos takes pride in being a member of the prestigious Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, working with one of his mentors, the great John Clayton. He has recorded and performed with a multitude of world-renowned musicians from Dizzy Gillespie to Michael Bublé to Willie Nelson (to name a few), and even doing a stint on American Idol for millions of listeners. On one memorable occasion, his “Star Spangled Banner” on solo trumpet opened a San Diego Symphony “Star Spangled Pops” concert. He was a 2012 San Diego Music Awards “Artist of the Year” honoree.

Mr. Castellanos has a passion for jazz education, and in 2013 he started The Young Lions series, a program (currently presented weekly at Balboa Park's Panama 66 restaurant) that showcases young blooming jazz artists (ages 10-18) with whom he works closely as instructor and mentor. Mr. Castellanos recently founded The Young Lions Jazz Conservatory (YLJC) and is its artistic director. He also gives jazz masterclasses and performances all over the world.

Gilbert Castellanos is series curator for the San Diego Symphony’s Jazz @ The Jacobs series. n

JAMES MAHONE is an active performer and instructor. He began his musical journey almost 30 years ago in Monterey, California, soaking in the influence of its rich music scene. He went on to California State University Northridge to study classical and jazz saxophone under Bill Caulkins, and participated in the

Series Sponsor Spotlight

DOCTOR BOB AND MAO SHILLMAN

THE SHILLMANS generously support all San Diego Symphony Orchestra jazz programming through their sponsorships of Jazz @ the Jacobs and Thursday Night Jazz.

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university's award-winning wind ensembles and jazz big bands under Ladd Macintosh, Joel Leach and Gary Pratt.

Upon leaving CSUN, James became a fixture on the Los Angeles music scene and was a founding member of the acclaimed jazz quintet Black Note, which recorded albums for the Columbia and GRP/ Impulse record labels. As a member of the group, James spent several years performing up and down the West Coast, eventually moving on to national and international destinations. He was a featured artist in many major jazz festivals (Montreal, North Sea, Pori, Umbria, etc.) as an opening act for Wynton Marsalis and worked with many of today's top-tier musicians, such as Eric Reed, Billy Higgins, Gil-Scott Heron, El De Barge, Josh Redman, Roy Hargrove, Reggie Workman, Billy Harper, Arnie Lawrence and R&B band The Chesterfields.

James continued his musical studies in New York City at The New School for Social Research, studying saxophone and composition under Garry Dial, Billy Harper, Benny Powell and Charles Tolliver.

During his time there, he began teaching saxophone, clarinet and flute students privately, and as a teacher at Sunny Music Studios in Queens, NY from 1998-2001.

Continuing his professional career in Tokyo, Japan allowed James more opportunities to hone his skills as a performer, recording artist and instructor. In addition to being a sought-after musician throughout Japan, he took on more private students and worked as a saxophone instructor at St. Maur International School, interacting with young, aspiring musicians from all corners of the world. n

CHARLES MCNEAL is an acclaimed performer on alto, tenor and soprano saxophones. He studied extensively in Denver, CO privately and at the college level with teachers that include: Walt Fowler, Willie Hill, Rich Charluce, Keith Oxman, Ron Miles, Javon Jackson, Nelson Rangell, Brad Leali and Walter Barr.

Charles has been a featured performer at many national and international festivals, including Monterey Jazz Festival (CA), San Jose Jazz Festival (CA), San Francisco Jazz Festival (CA), Playboy Jazz Festival (CA), Telluride Jazz Festival (CO), Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy) and Porretta Soul Festival (Italy).

Charles has performed, recorded and/or toured with Jimmy Scott, Charlie Mussellwhite, Keb Mo, Jon Faddis, Wynton Marsalis, Leslie Drayton, McCoy Tyner, Ray Obiedo, Dave Garabaldi, RAD, Brenda Boykin, Claire Dee, Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Barbara Morrison, Barbara Dennerlein, Jr., Mance, Bruce Forman, Mark Elf, Roberta Flack, The Temptations, Ollie Woodson, Norman Conners, Jean Carne, Curtis Olson, Peter Horvath, Jaz Sawyer, Nicolas Bearde and Boz Scaggs, among others.

Charles McNeal makes his home in Las Vegas, Nevada. His website, charlesmcneal.com, serves as a source for jazz saxophone transcriptions and related educational resources on the web. n

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PROGRAM NOTES | KIND OF BLUE – IN CONCERT – APRIL 28 Percussionist ROY MCCURDY will probably always be best-known for his important contributions to Cannonball Adderley’s Quintet (196575), but he has been a tasteful and stimulating participant in many other sessions through the years. Early on, he worked with Chuck and Gap Mangione in the Jazz Brothers (196061). Mr. McCurdy gained recognition for his playing with the Jazztet (196162), Bobby Timmons, Betty Carter (who was fairly obscure during his stint with her in 1962-63) and Sonny Rollins (1963-64) before joining Adderley. The supportive drummer was flexible enough to evolve with Cannonball’s popular group during the decade of change. After Adderley’s death, Mr. McCurdy relocated to the Los Angeles area, where he has played and recorded with the top local musicians ever since.

GERALD CLAYTON searches for honest expression in every note he plays. With harmonic curiosity and critical awareness, he develops musical narratives that unfold as a result of both deliberate searching and chance uncovering. The fourtime Grammy®-nominated pianist/ composer formally began his musical journey at the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he received the 2002 Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award.

Continuing his scholarly pursuits, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music under the instruction of piano icon Billy Childs, after a year of intensive study with NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron at The Manhattan School of Music. Clayton won second place in the 2006 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Piano Competition.

Mr. McCurdy remembers playing around with his own home-built drum sets at age six and he started formal drum lessons at eight. He attended the Eastman School of Music from ages 16 to 18, and was playing professionally in local clubs at age 16. Famous trumpeter Roy Eldridge heard him at this point; he played with Eldridge at age 16 and with Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson at age 17. In 1960 he joined the Art Farmer Benny Golson Jazztet and remained for two years.

Expansion has become part of Clayton’s artistic identity. His music is a celebration of the inherent differences in musical perspectives that promote true artistic synergy. Inclusive sensibilities have allowed him to perform and record with such distinctive artists as Diana Krall, Roy Hargrove, Dianne Reeves, Ambrose Akinmusire, Dayna Stephens, Kendrick Scott, John Scofield Ben Williams, Terell Stafford, as well as Dick Oatts, Michael Rodriguez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Avishai Cohen, Peter Bernstein and the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Clayton also has enjoyed an extended association since early 2013, touring and recording with saxophone legend Charles Lloyd.

Roy McCurdy counts among his influences Louie Bellson, Shelly Manne, Sam Woodyard, Buddy Rich, “Papa” Jo Jones, Philly Joe Jones and the bands of Duke Ellington, Jimmy Lunceford and Lionel Hampton. He has performed on between 150 and 200 recordings.

The list of greats that Mr. McCurdy has played with includes Count Basie, Wes Montgomery, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Carmen McRae, Joe Williams, Herbie Hancock, Milt Jackson, Oscar Peterson and Bud Powell. He has also shared a stage with with Art Pepper, John Heard, Ron McCurdy, Jackie Ryan, Joe Zawinal and Blood, Sweat & Tears. n

Bassist GEORGE DELANCEY is a native of Cambridge, OH, and a student of such prestigious programs as the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra and the Michigan State University Jazz Studies Program, where he studied under Rodney Whitaker. He has worked with notable bandleaders Johnny O’Neal, Wessell Anderson, Willie Jones III, Philip and Winard Harper, Christian Howes, Houston Person, Tia Fuller, Bria Skonberg as well as many others in New York and throughout the Midwest. He is active nationally as a bandleader and educator, and has worked with programs including Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Jazz for young People, Christian Howes’ Creative Strings Workshop and Keith Hall's Summer Drum Intensive. He is also the director of the Midwestern arts initiative Appalachian Muse. n

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2016 marks his second year as Musical Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour, a project that has featured his trio along with Ravi Coltrane, Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard and Raul Midón on guitar and vocals. Clayton’s discography as a leader reflects his evolution as an artist. His debut recording, Two Shade (ArtistShare), earned a 2010 Grammy® nomination for Best Improvised Jazz Solo for his arrangement of Cole Porter’s “All of You.” “Battle Circle,” his composition featured on The Clayton Brothers’ recording The New Song and Dance (ArtistShare), received a Grammy® nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Composition in 2011. He received 2012 and 2013 Grammy® nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Bond: The Paris Sessions (Concord) and Life Forum (Concord), his second and third album releases.

Capturing the truth in each moment’s conception of sound comes naturally to Clayton. The son of beloved bass player and composer John Clayton, he enjoyed a familial apprenticeship from an early age.

Clayton honors the legacy of his father and all his musical ancestors through a commitment to artistic exploration, innovation, and reinvention. n

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