Friday Concert Audio!

Thanks to the efforts of Mark Seymour, we have the 2107 Friday Concert audio files for every combo! Listen here. Thanks, Mark!

Final Concert

This year’s workshop at Acalanes High School was a huge success: great students and faculty, great music, great food, and lots of new friendships.

Friday night’s performances were the highlight of the week. Students were able to experience performing on the stage of the beautiful Performing Arts Center, and the combos were outstanding, from start to finish. At the end of the show we all heard the instructors play together on Donna Lee, and each teacher’s turn to solo was fantastic. It’s not possible to pick favorites from such an incredible group, but seeing Doyle Cooper walk out and shred on Sousaphone was unforgettable.

Thanks to Mr. Wandesforde and Mr. Kapoor for setting up all the equipment and keeping the show running so smoothly, and to all the volunteers who do such an amazing job every year. Without you there would be no Workshop!

Head over to the LSMJW Facebook page to see all the huge number of wonderful photos taken throughout the Workshop by Kerwin Lee, Mary Jean Odmark, Janis Marie and many others. In addition to playing in a combo and taking photos and videos, Mr. Lee keeps everyone informed during the week by keeping the Facebook flow going. We all depend on him!

Here are some photos taken by James Jordan of yesterday’s after-lunch big band, playing the music of Kyle Athayde. Pianist Joel Wenhardt perfectly expressed the “Dance Party” vibe.

Thanks to everyone for their help and cooperation this week! We need volunteers on Saturday to help break down and return all the borrowed equipment. Please give some time to achieve this goal and clean up Acalanes for the coming school year. Your help would be appreciated. We start at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning.

Mr. Athayde has promised Johnny’s Donuts for the first 48 people to arrive. Thanks!

Friday Performance Schedule is Up!

The Friday performance schedule is set, and is online!

Click here for the performance schedule with the full list of combos and players.

Last night we had a great turnout at the jam session at Bonehead’s! Thanks to everyone who participated, and to Judy Haxo for setting it up! Check out the photos on Facebook.

Tonight, we had a full house at Lamorinda Music for Sullivan Fortner and Kyle Athayde. Incredible music! Click here for more photos from photographer James Jordan, trombonist and friend of the Workshop.

Tomorrow morning, join in at the 8AM Jam Session.

Monday and Tuesday!

Monday, the first day of the Workshop, was very smooth. The combos are set and everyone is settling in to our new location at Acalanes. We had our first morning Jam Session Tuesday morning at 8:00, led by Rick Condit, and it was fantastic. Don’t hesitate to jump onstage with your instrument and join in!

Tuesday night’s concert at Lamorinda Music’s Big Room was fantastic. The Ferber Brothers, Sullivan Fortner, Ellie Athayde, John Daversa and Matt Zebley…a great set of standards and original tunes.

 

Audition Day

Because of everyone’s cooperation, the parking went smoothly, and audition day was great! See everyone tomorrow: doors open at 8:00 for check-in between 8:00 and 9:00. We encourage everyone to arrive early to pick up their name tags in “Camp Central” (the drama room). Guitarists, bassists, pianists and drummers should arrive by 8:15 to allow time to pick up their name tags and deliver their amps, keyboards, and drum kits to their combo rooms.

Parking

Because of construction at Stanley Middle School, the Workshop will be held at Acalanes High School this year.

On Sunday, July 30th, audition day, there will a large swim meet at Acalanes which will impact parking. We do have a number of parking spaces reserved for our use, but these will be at a premium, so we are asking for your help in lightening the parking load.

Parents: if possible, please drop off your student for their audition and pick them up afterwards. Follow the signs to the designated drop-off area in the main parking lot. There will be guides to direct you: they will be wearing brightly-colored vests and will be easily identifiable.

Students: please make an effort to carpool or, if possible, to be dropped off for your audition. If you must drive yourself, please talk to one of the parking attendants for instructions on where to park.

Everyone: please allow extra time for arrival and departure on this day! Thanks very much for anything you can do to help reduce the congestion on Sunday. It’s going to be a great Workshop at Acalanes: this will help us get off to a great start!

Student Letter

If you’ve signed up for the workshop, a link to the Student Letter has been emailed to you. If you haven’t received it, you can find it here. It’s full of all the information you’ll need about this year’s Workshop.

Click here for the Student Letter.