Kurt Elling

Top student ensembles from throughout the U.S. will travel to Monterey participate in the prestigious Next Generation Festival. Ensembles must first apply to attend the Next Generation Festival, and only the most talented musicians are granted the opportunity to perform. The list of competition finalists has been announced and includes student ensembles from California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Florida and Alaska. The full list of participants appears at the end of this article.

Building on the overwhelming success of the 2005 Next Generation Festival, the 2nd annual Festival will once again take place in the historic and lively hub of downtown Monterey, filling the town with vibrant musical activity in a celebration of all things jazz. The Festival is set to include MJF's 36th Annual National High School Jazz Competition for big bands, combos and vocal ensembles, with top musicians competing to win a spot on the stages of the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival Presented by Verizon September 15-17, 2006.

Exciting new components including a new College Big Band Competition, a new Vocal Solo Workshop, and a special performance and clinic featuring the Berklee/Monterey Quartet. Similar to last year's Festival, the weekend event will also offer clinics and performance opportunities for Middle Schools, the Big Band Composition Competition, and auditions for the international touring all-star ensemble, the MJF Next Generation Jazz Orchestra.

Events will take place in downtown Monterey's Conference Center, adjacent to the host Portola Plaza Hotel and next to Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf. With discounts on hotel accommodations, aquarium visits and whale-watching trips, the Next Generation Festival is a true Monterey experience for all participants. As in the past, Next Generation Festival events - from the star studded Opening Night Concert to the hotly contested Big Band Finals on Saturday night – will be open to the public, free of charge.

Participants and patrons will have several opportunities to witness MJF 2006 Artist-in-Residence, vocalist Kurt Elling, in a variety of settings throughout the three-day Festival. A six-time Grammy Award nominee, Kurt Elling has become known for his vocalese, spoken word, and improvised scatting, as well as an appreciation of the classic jazz songbook that has re-energized the art of jazz singing for a new generation. He has released six albums on the Blue Note recording label and won "Best Male Singer" honors three years running in the DownBeat and the JazzTimes critics' polls. At the 2006 Next Generation Festival, he will serve as a competition judge and teach the Vocal Solo Workshop.

The weekend will kick off with the traditional Opening Night Concert by Competition judges, including Shelly Berg, Gilbert Castellanos, Paul Contos, Ray Drummond, Rosana Eckert, Mary Fettig, Yoron Israel, Aaron Lington, Andy Martin, Dr. Ron McCurdy, Dr. James Miley, David Thomas and Michele Weir. The free concert has traditionally attracted standing room only crowds, so fans are advised to arrive early for the 7:00 pm start. More information on NGF Adjudicators is available at http://www.montereyjazzfestival.com/2006/NGF/adjudicators.shtml

The Opening Night Concert also includes a Salute to Jazz Education, emceed by local Radio Personality Barry Brown. MJF will celebrate the outstanding students, teachers and volunteers in its renowned Jazz Education Programs with plaques and awards.

Following the Opening Night Concert on April 21 will be a performance and clinic featuring some of the brightest collegiate jazz stars. The Berklee/Monterey Jazz Quartet, showcasing students from the Boston's Berklee College of Music, will perform at Monterey Live, a new performing arts venue in the heart of downtown Monterey.

The 36th Annual National High School Jazz Competition will kick off on Saturday at 9:00 am with twelve Big Bands, six Combos and seven Vocal Groups from around the country competing throughout the day for a spot on the stages of the Monterey Jazz Festival, plus trophies, cash prizes, scholarships and more. Three finalist Big Bands will be announced at the end of the day on Saturday, with the three contenders vying for the top spot on Saturday night. Winners of all events, along with individual winners of scholarships and trophies, will be announced at the conclusion of Saturday night's Big Band finals.

Saturday night will conclude with a dazzling jam session at Monterey Live, giving student participants of all ages from schools across the country the opportunity to perform together in front of enthusiastic audiences. A new, state-of-the-art performing arts venue in the heart of Monterey, Monterey Live features live music, theater, dance, comedy and spoken word seven days a week. The venue brings the excitement of exclusive "big city" theater-style clubs to Monterey with light fare and beverages served in an intimate and sophisticated setting. Monterey Live is located at 414 Alvarado Street Monterey, CA 93940, www.montereylive.net

The Competition also includes two components that proved successful in the inaugural Next Generation Festival. Six Middle School Big Bands will participate in a Middle School Jazz Festival, including clinics and a non-competitive event on Sunday, April 23, with additional performances on tap throughout the weekend. In addition, a Big Band Composition Competition fill feature the work of young composers, with the winning composition to receive its world premiere by the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra at the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon September 15 - 17, 2006.

During the Next Generation Festival, Competition judges will also audition student members of the MJF Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. An internationally recognized all-star ensemble of emerging jazz talent, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra will tour major jazz clubs and festivals throughout the world. This July, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra will perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola and the Jazz Standard in New York City, the International Music Festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia Italy. The ensemble completes its tour with a performance featuring special guest Kurt Elling at the 49th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival presented by Verizon on Sunday September 17. Individual musicians, who are not required to be members of a band, may apply for a spot on the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in person at the Next Generation Festival on April 23, 2006.

Overall, one of the most exciting programs of the weekend may prove to be the new College Big Band Competition. For the first time ever in Monterey, college participants will be able to witness one of the jazziest events in downtown Monterey and serve as mentors for their younger counterparts, while fans can catch the sparkling display of jazz artistry from some of the fastest rising collegiate and semi-professional stars in the country. "It's a great opportunity to expand the festival and include colleges at this year's Next Generation Festival," says MJF Education Director Rob Klevan. "It'll add a whole new dimension to the Festival. The whole town will buzz about the level of musicianship coming from these great young talents, and there'll be some amazing music to hear in downtown Monterey this April."

With the continued success of the Next Generation Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival maintains its long-standing commitment to jazz education. The Festival has been a leader in music education since the Festival's inception in 1958. Every year the Monterey Jazz Festival invests heavily in its innovative jazz education programs, ranging from a Traveling Clinicians Program, with professional musicians visiting Monterey County schools to each students how to play jazz, to its internationally acclaimed High School Jazz Competition, which boasts Joshua Redman, Patrice Rushen, Benny Green and other jazz stars as alumni.

The Next Generation Festival is produced, funded and sponsored by the Monterey Jazz Festival. Competition partners Tower Records enthusiastically join in the Next Generation festivities, as well as long-time supporter of the MJF Education Programs, Yamaha Instruments, donating instruments essential to the event's success. The Next Generation Festival is also made possible in part by a grant from The D'Addario Foundation for the Performing Arts with support from J. D'Addario & Company, Inc., Evans Drumheads, and many generous individual donors. The Monterey Jazz Festival also thanks Jazz Times Magazine, a media partner for the 2nd Annual Next Generation Festival.

More information on the Next Generation Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival is available from the Festival web site, montereyjazzfestival.org, or by calling the Festival office at (831) 373-3366.

2nd Annual Next Generation Festival Finalists include:

HIGH SCHOOL BIG BANDS
• Arts/Communication Magnet Academy, Beaverton, OR
• Berkeley HS, Berkeley, CA
• Buchanan HS, Clovis, CA
• Davis HS, Davis, CA
• Deer Valley HS, Glendale, AZ
• Folsom HS A, Folsom, CA
• Las Lomas HS, Walnut Creek, CA
• Las Vegas Academy, Las Vegas, NV
• Lexington HS, Lexington, MA
• Mission Viejo HS, Mission Viejo, CA
• Rio Americano HS, Sacramento, CA
• Valley Christian HS, San Jose, CA

HIGH SCHOOL COMBOS
• Berkeley HS Quintet & Sextet, Berkeley, CA
• Berkeley HS Sextet, Berkeley, CA
• Colburn School, Los Angeles, CA
• Davis HS, Davis, CA
• Lake Zurich HS, Lake Zurich, IL
• LACHSA Combo G, Los Angeles, CA

VOCAL ENSEMBLES
• Arlington HS, Arlington, WA
• Booker T. Washington HSPVA, Dallas, TX
• Dos Pueblos HS, Goleta, CA
• Downey HS, Downey, CA
• Folsom HS A & B, Folsom, CA
• San Marin HS, Novato, CA
• Shorewood HS, Shoreline, WA

MIDDLE SCHOOL BIG BANDS
• Chaparral MS, Moorpark, CA
• Eagle Rock MS, Eagle Rock, CA
• Folsom MS, Folsom, CA
• Stanley MS, Lafayette, CA
• Sutter MS, Folsom, CA
• Valley Christian JHS, San Jose, CA

COLLEGE BIG BANDS
• Chabot College, Hayward, CA
• CSU Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
• CSU Sacramento Jazz Ensemble, Sacramento, CA
• CSU Sacramento Latin Jazz, Sacramento, CA
• Santa Rosa JC, Santa Rosa CA
• Univ. of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL

SPECIAL GUEST GROUPS
• Alaska Jazz Workshop Advanced.Combo, Anchorage, AK
• Clark Intermediate School Vocal Ensemble, Clovis, CA
• La Paz Intermediate School Big Band, Mission Viejo, CA
• Pico Rivera Community Big Band, Pico Rivera, CA