Sacramento State’s jazz ensembles will open up their spring semester with a performance on Thursday, March 8 at 8:00pm with guest bassist Rick Shaw. Shaw is currently the bassist for Gordin Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. He graduated from the Eastman School of Music and moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, and began touring with Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson. Since 1987 he has also worked with Johnny Mathis.

The majority of his work now is playing electric and acoustic basses for recording sessions for television shows such as "JAG", "The Simpsons", and "King of the Hill". Some of his recent movie soundtrack recordings include "Freaky Friday" and "Legally Blonde 2". He has also played on CD recordings for Willy Nelson, Julio Iglesias, Taproot, and Beck.

Our student jazz combos will be performing two concerts this spring, featuring a variety of ensembles doing standards and original arrangements and compositions. Both of their concerts will be at 3:00pm in the Music Recital Hall, on Friday, March 9 and Friday, April 27. Jazz combo recitals are free and open to the public.

Sacramento State’s top jazz band one of our top student jazz combos will also be performing as part of the annual Festival of the Arts on Thursday, April 19 at 8:00pm with guest pianist Benny Green. Green grew up in Berkeley, California, and joined Art Blakey's band in New York in 1987. In late 1989 he began working with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's quintet. In 1993 Oscar Peterson chose Benny as the first recipient of the City of Toronto's Glen Gould International Protégé Prize in Music. That year, Green replaced Gene Harris in Ray Brown's Trio, working with the veteran bass player until 1997. From 1997 on, Benny resumed his freelance career, leading his own trios, accompanying singers like Diana Krall, and concentrating in his solo piano performances.

Both of Sacramento State’s big bands will perform again to close out their spring semester on Thursday, May 3 at 8:00pm. The Jazz Singers will be performing at 7:00pm on Friday, May 4. Under the direction of Kerry Marsh, Sacramento State’s program has won five Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards in recent years with their innovative approaches to contemporary vocal jazz.