2011-2012 Finalists Quintet Announced

Many thanks to all who participated in the auditions for the mentorship program in 2011-2012. The Small World jam at the Olmos Bharmacy was jam packed and the excitement was palpable. 

As in the past, this year's panel of judges was comprised of top regional professionals, none of whom is affiliated with the Alamo Colleges: saxophonist-flutist Rene Saenz, trumpeter-pianist Cecil Carter, and trumpeter-bandleader Adrian Ruiz. They chose a quintet of finalists, who are to be mentored during the spring semester. Their ranked list of finalists is below (#1 is their top choice). Congratulations to all!

1. Marco Antonio Escobedo - guitar (San Antonio College)
2. James Buentello - drums (Northwest Vista College) 
3. Shea Adams - voice (Northwest Vista College) 
4. Rene Pintor - trombone (San Antonio College)
5. Stephen Bennett - bass (Northwest Vista College) 

Their recommendations to the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) shortly. The IASJ will invite one of  these top 5 contestants to the meeting in Graz, Austria June 24-29, 2012; the final decision is in the hands of the IASJ, and will come some time during the spring semester.

We're in the process of finalizing quintet's spring schedule. We have master classes lined up with pianist Geri Allen through Trinity Uniersity's KRTU and Musical Bridges Around the World, West African guitarist Lionel Loueke through the Carver Community Cultural Center, and NEA Jazz Master saxophonist-educator Dave Liebman. The quintet has an engagement at the NISOD conference in Austin, and a radio date with JJ Lopez and the South Texas Jazz project on KRTU. 

It was disappointing that neither PAC, SPC, and NLV sent students this year. To make the program more visible on all the Alamo campuses, we're in the process of organizing master classes with colleagues at various Alamo Colleges campuses. Northeast Lakeview College (Chris Magee), Palo Alto College (Armin Marmolejo), and St. Philip's College (Greg Gonzales) have already come aboard. The quintet has also been invited perform at the annual Palo Alto College jazz festival in March. Thanks to all!

Stay tuned...

Mentorship Program Audition Materials - Download the IASJ Top 10

Click here to download the entire packet of audition materials as a single PDF.  Contents are below.  You can print out selected pages or the full packet. You pick 3 of these for your audition. Online application is here.

ALAMO COLLEGES JAZZ ALLSTARS MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

AUDITION MATERIALS – IASJ TOP 10 (2010)

1.       Blues

a.       Now’s the Time   F

b.      Centerpiece  C

2.       Rhythm changes

a.       I Got Rhythm  G

b.      I’ve Got Rhythm (truncated)  Bb

c.       Errand Girl for Rhythm  F

d.      Oleo  Bb

3.       All the Things You Are  Eb, Ab

4.       Stella by Starlight F, Bb

5.       There Will Never Be Another You Bb, Eb

6.       Body and Soul Ab, Db

7.       Autumn Leaves   Cm, Em

a.       French lyrics, translation

8.       Have You Met Miss Jones  C, F

9.       Footprints Cm

10.   Softly as in a Morning Sunrise  Am, Gm, Cm

ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS - FROM IASJ TOP 10 (2000)

1.       Green Dolphin Street G, C

2.       All Blues G, Eb

3.       There is no Greater Love  G, Bb

4.       Solar  Eb

5.       [All of Me G, C]

IASJ Top 10 - YouTube

The IASJ Top 10 are your "school figures," as they say in ice skating; your required jazz standards. When you apply for the program, you will select from among these to perform at your audition. See the online application for details.

Below are links to a few good performances of the IASJ Top 10 tunes on YouTube. There are tons more! Enjoy and learn...

1. 12-bar blues (various tunes and keys, minor and major)
1. Centerpiece
1. Coleman Hawkins et al, quintessential phrasing!
2. Lambert, Hendricks & Ross 
3. Instructional, with Lenora Zenzalai Helm
4. Master Class, with Roseanna Vitro
5. Roberta Gambarini 
2. Now's the Time
1. Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, 1945
2. Miles Davis solo, with notation
3. Parker at the Roost, 1948-9
4. Vi Redd, vocal
2. I Got Rhythm changes (various tunes and keys, including original)
1. Oleo - Miles Davis Quintet, featuring Sonny Rollins
2. Errand Boy for Rhythm - Nat Cole
3. Errand Girl for Rhythm - Diana Krall
4. I Got Rhythm - Gershwin plays
5. I Got Rhythm - Hiromi
6. I Got Rhythm - Judy Garland
3. All the Things You Are
1. Ella Fitzgerald - Nelson Riddle arrangement
2. Django Reinhardt
3. Baden Powell
4. Charlie Parker
4. Stella by Starlight
1. Sarah Vaughan
2. Miles Davis
3. Bill Evans
4. Stan Getz
5. There Will Never Be Another You
1. Chet Baker
2. Oscar Peterson
3. Bud Powell
4. Nat Cole
6. Body and Soul
1. Coleman Hawkins
2. Billie Holiday
3. Ella Fitzgerald
4. Anita O'Day
7. Autumn Leaves
1. Nat Cole - in French with lyrics on screen
2. Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis
3. Joe Pass with Sarah Vaughan
4. Bill Evans
8. Have You Met Miss Jones?
1. Anita O'Day [start listening ca. 2:00]
2. Ella Fitzgerald
3. Hank Jones (master class)
4. Art Tatum )
9. Footprints
1. Wayne Shorter
2. Gabriel Alegria (Afro-Peruvian version)
3. Young Israeli students (pop-ish version)
4. Rajdulari Jazz Project (with Dee Dee Bridgewater's lyrics)
10. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
1. Dianne Reeves - with improvised "welcome" intro
2. Nelson Eddy
3. Sonny Rollins
4. John Coltrane

Titles from the earlier list (2000, Paris).

1. All Blues
1. Miles Davis
2. Ernestine Anderson
2. There Is No Greater Love
1.  Billie Holiday 
2.  Sonny Rollins
3. Solar
1.  Miles Davis
4. [All of Me]
1.  Billie Holiday
2. Sarah Vaughan
3. Duke Ellington

Allstars Video in the Works!

Northwest Vista College's Digital Video & Cinema Production Program is creating a video about the Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars Mentorship Program. The project will include interviews, performances, audio, and--of course--video footage. We're excited.

A crew will be on hand to film Orquesta Vista's upcoming Latino Heritage Month concert.. That's Northwest Vista College's student jazz ensemble, Thursday, October 13, 2011, 1 PM. Come on over to the Cypress Campus Center patio to enjoy a lunchtime lakeside concert, if you're in the neighborhood.  Hope to see you there.

Many thanks to Patrick and Jonathan, student production team leaders, and to Ron Wojnar, Digital Video & cinema Production Program Coordinator.

Live Masterclass from the Village Vanguard - RSVP via Facebook ASAP

From my New York friend and colleague Lara Pellegrinelli, a rare opportunity to participate in a live chat and master class at the Village Vanguard on Wednesday, October 12 at 6 PM CST. RSVP via Facebook here and now. Read on...

 

Dear Jazz Students,

 

My name is Lara Pellegrinelli. You can call me Dr. LP. I work with National Public Radio on its Live from the Village Vanguard webcasts, produced in collaboration with member station WBGO.

 

I wanted to invite you to be part of our virtual Vanguard audience WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12 at 9PM for FABIAN ALMAZAN. Fabian is the young Cuban-American pianist in trumpeter Terence Blanchard's band and he'll be performing with his trio plus string quartet to celebrate the release of his  debut recording Personalities. 

Like Terence, who has scored most of Spike Lee's films, Fabian is also a budding film composer. So we decided we wanted to do something special. At 7PM before the performance, Fabian will doing a LIVE MINI-MASTERCLASS. We will be focusing our discussion on arranging, taking questions from our online audience in the NPR Music chat room and answering them on camera. Fabian has provided us with a few of his scores so we have the potential to get into some real musical depth. 

We are asking anyone who would like to participate in the masterclass to RSVP on a Facebook event page we have created: https://mail.alamo.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161285397293942

You can find the event page that will host the masterclass and performance at NPR Music here. It will go live shortly before 7pm:

https://mail.alamo.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.npr.org/2011/10/05/141085472/fabian-almazan-trio-string-quartet-live-at-the-village-vanguard

A link to Fabian's scores (available for download) can be found in this post on A Blog Supreme:

https://mail.alamo.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2011/09/27/140857156/live-interview-with-fabian-almazan

And if you would like to view the film First Match, for which Fabian has provided a score, you can find that on his website by going under the tab for film scoring and clicking video. It's also the best source of information on Fabian: https://mail.alamo.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.fabianalmazan.com/

 

Feel free to introduce yourself. We'd be really happy to have you. NPR Music has all kinds of amazing jazz materials available for free on its site and it's our hope that you will want to take full advantage of them. If you want to keep up to date on our offerings, we also have a new Facebook page for the liking:  https://mail.alamo.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.facebook.com/nprjazz

 

See you online!

 

cheers,

 

Lara Pellegrinelli (AKA Dr. LP)

Harvard University, Ph.D. 2005

Visiting Lecturer, Princeton University, Spring 2011

Freelance contributor, NPR Arts Desk

Consultant, NPR's Live at the Village Vanguard

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

One of the world's preeminent jazz venues, the Village Vanguard has regularly presented jazz's greatest musicians since 1957. Renowned for its rich history and great acoustics, over 100 commercial albums have been recorded within the triangle-shaped basement room in New York's Greenwich Village. Live At The Village Vanguard is a collaboration between WBGO and NPR Music presenting live broadcasts from the legendary club, both on air and streaming online. WBGO's Josh Jackson hosts all the concerts; you can join the discussion in a chat room and watch a live video feed. After each show is over, NPR Music will host the archived recordings of all the concerts at this page.

"Rhythm Changes" - Tunes based on "I Got Rhythm"

#2 on the "IASJ's Top 10" is the harmonic scheme of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm."  There are hundreds of tunes based on this chord structure. Below are some lists of tunes with "Rhythm changes."

1. David Baker's list from his excellent book "How to Learn Tunes"
2. List of Rhythm tunes in the "Real Book" from Learn Jazz Standards
3. Long list from Kimberly Stephan
4. Jamey Aebersold's Rapid-Reference Play-a-Long Song Index (download as Excel spreadsheet or PDF, search for "Rhythm")
5. List of Charlie Parker's "Rhythm" and blues tunes
6. "Rhythm Changes" resources on Bob Keller's Jazz Page
7. List from Saxontheweb  (see comments as well; some tunes listed are NOT Rhythm changes, e.g., "Perdido")
8. List from MoneyChords 
9. Bass perspectives on Rhythm variations from John Goldsby

SAVE THE DATE: Dave Liebman - May 16, 2012

In 2011, David Liebman was honored as an NEA Jazz Master, the highest national award for jazz musicians in the US. Liebman is co-founder and Artistic Director of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ), the mother organization for our Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars program. Over the past two decades, his performances, master classes, and informal conversations have inspired students and teachers alike at the organization's annual world jazz meetings. Watch this video snippet and see for yourself.

We are thrilled to report that Dave Liebman has agreed to come to San Antonio for a day-long mini-residency in the stunning new  Palmetto Center for the Arts at Northwest Vista College. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

He will conduct open master classes with the 2012 Alamo Allstars group from 2-5 PM in the Palmetto Center. A concert will follow at 7 PM, with the Alamo Allstars opening and a performance by Dave Liebman with regional artists Aaron Prado (piano), Audra Menconi (drums), and Mike Porter (bass).  It is sure to be an extraordinary evening. Watch this blog for details as the date draws near.

STUDENTS! Now is the time to begin preparations for auditions, which are to be held on Monday, November 21, 2011. Download charts and listen to performances of the IASJ Top 10. Start learning the tunes now, if you don't want to miss out on this life-changing opportunity. Contact me at kcartwright2@alamo.edu or 210-486-4828 for more information. You can do it!

TOP 10 TUNES TO KNOW IN JAZZ (IASJ)

Here, listed in order of preference, are the current top 10 tunes to know for jam sessions among participating members of the IASJ (The Hague, 2010), with keys for women singers indicated (these would be in addition to standard instrumental keys).  Any student who wishes to become an Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstar should begin working on these now!

Links are to downloadable PDFs of sheet-music (and some videos). Titles in bold are in both the 2000 and the 2010 version.

1. 12-bar blues (various tunes and keys, minor and major)   
• Centerpiece - C 
• Now's the Time - F
2. "I Got Rhythm" changes (various tunes and keys, including original); singer key for original = C (inst = mainly Bb)
3. All the Things You Are; singer key = Eb (inst = Ab)
4. Stella by Starlight; singer key = G (inst = Bb)
5. There Will Never Be Another You; singer key = Bb (inst = Eb)
6. Body and Soul; singer key = Ab (inst = Db)
7. Autumn Leaves; singer key = Cm or Dm
8. Have You Met Miss Jones; singer key = C (inst = F)
9. Footprints; key = Cm (this is an instrumental tune; singers should scat the melody or harmony)
10. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise; singer key = Gm

Below is the earlier list (2000, Paris). Titles in bold are in both versions of the list. Links are to downloadable PDFs of sheet-music.

1. Body and Soul - Ab  
2. Stella by Starlight - F  
3. All the Things You Are - Eb  
4. Rhythm changes: I Got Rhythm - C, 32-bar version  
5. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise - Gm  
6. Autumn Leaves - Cm  
7. Green Dolphin Street - G   
8. Blues: All Blues - Eb
   Blues: All Blues, lyric sheet 
9. There Is No Greater Love - G  
10. Solar - Cm
    [All of Me - G]
    

"A very Brazilian kind of day"

"Today is a very Brazilian kind of day – it begins and ends with Choro..."

Sao Paulo - The IASJ Meeting (Part 2): Enjoy part two of Brazil impressions from the brilliant and entertaining Irish bassist and educator, Ronan Guilfoyle. His blog gives a vivid flavor of the capstone event in the Alamo Allstar's year, the annual meeting of the International Association of Jazz Educators, which the grand prize winner is invited to attend.

Top 10 from JEN

A recent survey, published in JAZZed, the magazine of the Jazz Educators Network (JEN), shows that US educators' top tunes to know in jazz are very similar to the IASJ's top 10 list. 

All Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars, as well as all students who take part in the annual IASJ meeting (e.g., this year in São Paulo), are expected to know all of these for purposes of jam sessions and auditions. 

Compare the JEN list below with the IASJ Top 10. Shows how standard the core standards are worldwide. Are you thinking of auditioning for the next Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars? Follow the link above, download the charts, start listening and learning these tunes now. There are a couple of new ones on the way...

1.All the Things You Are
2.Autumn Leaves
3.Body & Soul
4.On Green Dolphin Street
5.Stella by Starlight
6.Take the A-Train
7.There Will Never Be Another You
8.Alone Together
9.What is This Thing Called Love?
10.Have You Met Miss Jones?

 

IASJ São Paulo: An Irish Journal

Bassist/educator Ronan Guilfoyle from Ireland has a wonderful blog. Here's part one of his journal about  the IASJ meeting in São Paulo. He really gives you the flavor of the day-to-day activities of the meeting. Check it out.

"The State of Jazz: A Visit to Brazil"

In fall  of 2011, Lydia Liebman begins her second year as a student at Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, both in Boston. She's also the daughter of renowned saxophonist David Liebman, the Artistic Director of the International Association of Schools of Jazz, the mother organization for the Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars.

She wrote about her experiences in São Paulo for Education Update Online. Read her take on the meeting in São Paulo that Jeané Gaines, our first Alamo Allstar, attended. Read the article: THE STATE OF JAZZ: A VISIT TO BRAZIL

Back from Brazil

Jeané Gaines, a jazz singer and Northwest Vista College student, and our first Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstar, has just come home from a trip to São Paulo, Brazil that she will never forget. She's reached across cultures, made new friends--young and old--worked hard, and had herself quite a time.

Our video bar contains a few moments from the 2011 meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ) at the Souza Lima Conservatory.

Be sure to watch the trailor for an upcoming documentary film on the IASJ by Israeli filmmaker Leon Segal, entitled "It's Not About the Music." It is about the music, of course, but it's much more than that, as you'll see. It's about collaboration, community, communication, and peace.

Stay tuned, and thanks for your support!

THE BIG PAYOFF! BRAZIL! TONIGHT!

The day has finally arrived...

Tonight, Northwest Vista College student Jeané Gaines boards a night flight to São Paulo, Brazil for one intensive week of performance, learning, and forming lifelong friendships with fellow students from all over the world. All this is to take place at the annual meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ).  She'll be joined by IASJ board member and Allstars program coordinator, Katchie Cartwright. The 2011 jazz meeting is to be held at the Souza Lima Conservatory of Music.

So much has transpired since the Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars audition last November. Performances, workshops, gigs, bonding with the wonderful 2011 Alamo Allstars: Marco António Escobedo, Rene Pintor, Amanda Sanchez, Jessica Brandi Adams.

Jeané will report back after her trip, and share her experiences with her colleagues in this year's group and the next generation of Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars. Stay tuned for more...

Nós desejamos o melhor para ela. Boa viagem!

New goodies at katchie.com - sheet-music, mp3 of the Allstars!

Several new goodies have been posted on the Alamo Allstars page at katchie.com, including:

• Sheet music for several more blues songs, with links to videos of classic performances
• Sheet music for additional "I Got Rhythm" songs
• Mp3 of the 2010/2011 performing live in the KRTU studios as part of the South Texas Jazz Project, hosted by JJ Lopez.

Check it out and enjoy!

Allstars to Perform at Olmos Bharmacy, Wednesday June 1, 7 PM

The Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars will have their club debut on Wednesday, June 1 at 7 PM at the Olmos Bharmacy, McCullough and Hildebrand, San Antonio TX 78212

The Bharmacy is the birthplace of the group. The students auditioned there in November 2010 to become part of this prestigious intercollegiate ensemble.

Come on over, bring the family. All ages welcomed. Delicious food courtesy of Patty Lou's Restaurant, reasonable prices, wine and beer for the adults. Information:  (210)822-1188

Krazy Kat Music Joins the Allstars as an Equipment Partner

We're very excited. Eugene Ng, owner of San Antonio's Krazy Kat Music has agreed to become an equipment partner with the Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars project.

 

This means that he'll help us out with sound reinforcement and backline when he can, and will offer a special discount to Alamo Allstars students who want to buy good reliable used instruments and sound equipment from his store. They also do repairs. Gene is a community minded man, who has helped many starving artists and students in the twenty years that he's been in business. We are very lucky to have him on board. Thank you, Gene!

 

Krazy Kat Music

3020 N St. Mary's, San Antonio TX 78212 map

210-737-0523

Allstars to Perform at Media Event for SA Summer Art & Jazz Festival

Anthony Tobias, Executive Director of the SA Summer Art & Jazz Festival, has invited the Alamo Allstars to perform for the press party for the San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz festival. The event takes place a week before the festival itself, at The Cove just north of downtown. Live radio coverage, great local organic food.

Wednesday, May 25

5-6:30 PM

The Cove, 606 W Cypress, San Antonio, TX 78212
210-227-2683 

San Antonio Summer Art & Jazz Festival

Studio Recording & Radio Broadcast Slated for KRTU Jazz 91.7 FM

Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars - KRTU Jazz 91.7 FM Radio Broadcast
Location: KRTU Studios, Trinity University
Live studio recording for the South Texas Jazz Project, hosted by JJ Lopez

The Alamo Allstars record live in the studios of Trinity Uniersity's KRTU Jazz 91.7 FM for broadcast on the Texas Jazz Project, hosted by Alamo Colleges graduate, JJ Lopez. The program will include performances and interviews.

The show will be aired 4 times:
Thursdays June 2 & June 16 from 7-8 PM.
Saturdays June 4 and June 16, from 5-6 PM

Tune in to Jazz 91.7 FM to hear it. Or catch it any time the weeks it is aired on the playback feature at KRTU.org

KRTU online: KRTU.org

Event listing: http://alamo.edu/nvc/programs/fpa/
Event invitation on Facebook

Article in LaReVista

NVC Student Travels to Brazil for Jazz Meeting

Several years ago, after the Katrina Hurricane in New Orleans, Jeané Gaines and her family fled to San Antonio in search of a better life.

Since coming to NVC, she has found some of her dreams come true as she was recently picked to attend the International Association Schools of Jazz (IASJ) meeting in Săo Paulo, Brazil this summer.

Read more >>

Concert and Master Class with Perla at Vista, and Upcoming Events

Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 2:00 PM
Jazz Appreciation Month - Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars and Gene Perla
Location: Palmetto Center for the Arts, Recital Room 107
Open Master Class, 12-6 PM. Free Performance, 7 PM.

April 12 was an intensive mini-residency with Gene Perla for the Alamo Allstars. He coached them all day on the IASJ Top 10 tunes to know in jazz. In the evening, they performed in the recital room of the Palmetto Center for the Arts. Their growth as a collaborative ensemble was palpable, and the audience was enthusiastic.  Gene Perla, a distinguished bassist, has performed with such jazz legends as Willie Bobo, Patato Valdes, Sarah Vaughan, and Elvin Jones. He came to Northwest Vista as part of the college's Vis-a-Vis Visiting Artist Series.

This was the third master class and performance for the Alamo Allstars this semester. The first was in February, at Trinity University with New Orleans trumpeter Nicholas Payton, made possible by Musical Bridges Across the World, Northwest Vista College, and the Growing Jazz initiative of Trinity University's KRTU Jazz 91.7. In March, the group performed at San Antonio College and were coached one-on-one by San Antonio's own Small World, featuring Polly Harrison on guitar, Kyle Keener on drums, Chuck Moses on bass, and Richard Oppenheim on saxophone.

On Friday, April 15, the Alamo Colleges Jazz Allstars will perform at the St. Mary's University Fiesta Jazz Festival, which is adjudicated by acclaimed bassist Rufus Reid.  Next on the horizon for the group is a live studio recording and broadcast for KRTU Jazz 91.7. They'll perform and be interviewed as part of the station's South Texas Jazz Project, hosted by JJ Lopez. Stay tuned for more details, and watch the calendar at http://alamo.edu/nvc/programs/fpa.

South Texas Jazz Project: Live studio recording and broadcast on KRTU Jazz 91.7 FM

In May, the 2011 Alamo Allstars will be in the studios at KRTU Jazz 91.7 FM, to record for the South Texas Jazz Project, hosted by JJ Lopez. JJ will be interviewing the musicians and recording their music. What a great opportunity!

Stay tuned for dates and times. Join the KRTU Facebook community for details...

Listen to the KRTU broadcast right now.

2010 Allstars Combo - IASJ Top 10

Combo members are expected to know all of the following tunes by heart by the end of the spring semester. Lead sheets with lyrics are given below (PDF). They are all in concert keys that are friendly to women singers, which are usually different from the original keys.

Players of Bb, Eb, and bass clef instruments are expected to transpose their own parts. It's important to learn to do this on sight, but feel free to write them out if you need to. 

If you have any difficulty downloading these charts, please contact me right away. 

IASJ TOP 10  - (list of tunes)

Body and Soul - Ab

Stella by Starlight - F

All the Things You Are - Eb

Rhythm changes: Straighten Up and Fly Right - C

Rhythm changes: Oleo - Bb

Softly as in a Morning Sunrise- Gm

Autumn Leaves - Cm

Green Dolphin Street - G

Blues: All Blues - Eb

Blues: All Blues - lyric sheet

Blues: Red Top - Eb

There Is No Greater Love - G

Solar - Cm

[All of Me - G]

About the Alamo Allstars and the IASJ

 "The future of jazz is linked with jazz education and ...the IASJ is the chain!"

Each year in November, an outside panel of professional musicians selects a new Alamo Allstars student combo.  Auditions are performed live in a San Antonio jazz venue. The combo trains and peforms locally throughout the spring semester. The culminating event in the Alamo Allstars spring season is the grand prize recipient's participation in the annual meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz.

The IASJ, established in 1989, is the only existing world wide network of schools of jazz. Students, teachers and representatives are connected through the IASJ. During the Annual IASJ Jazz Meeting, which takes place in a different country every year, they perform, teach and network and build up live-long professional relations and friendships.  Read more...

Katchie Cartwright, the program coordinator, serves on the Board of Directors of the IASJ. The Alamo Allstars are the first community college representatives in the history of the organization.

2010/2011 Combo Members

Jeané Gaines (voice, Northwest Vista College), 2010/2011 Grand Prize Recipient

Marco Antonio Escobedo (guitar, San Antonio College)

Rene Pintor (trombone, San Antonio College)

Amanda Sanchez (bass, Palo Alto College)

Jessica Brandi Adams (drums, St. Philip's College)