The Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco
directed by John Calloway
Sunday December 20, 2009
$10 - 7pm
The Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of San Francisco, or LJYE, is a performing group of talented musicians ages ten to 18. Their repertoire features Latin jazz classics and original compositions at a level that has landed them gigs at the San Jose Jazz Festival, the KCSM Jazz Festival, KGO Radio, Yerba Buena Gardens, SF Museum of Modern Art, Paramount's Great America and the world-renown jazz club, Yoshi’s. The LJYE has shared the stage with legendary performers such as the great Cuban bassist, Cachao; piano virtuoso Chuchito Valdes; Latin jazz heavyweights Poncho Sanchez and Clare Fischer; and the Grammy Award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The LJYE mission is to preserve the traditions of Latin jazz and Afro-Cuban music by teaching it to youth and to create role models for aspiring student musicians. The LJYE was chosen as one of the top youth bands in Northern California in the 2004 YouthQuake competition and won First Place (Youth Music) in Carnaval San Francisco in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Ensemble is honored to be Youth Artists-in-Residence at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens Festival since 2005.
