Jazzschool Studio Band Performs Monday Night at Yoshi's

PHOTOS: Trombonist Remee Ashley solos at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek; The Studio Band placed third in the 2015 Conglomerate High School Big Band Division; saxophone section featured at their Next Generation Monterey Jazz Festival performance. Credit: Shannon Miller

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From the California Jazz Conservatory:

The Jazzschool Studio Band, featuring the Bay Area’s finest high school musicians, including performers from Novato, is ready for its final performance before departing on its’ European Tour later this month. Performing at Yoshi’s in Oakland’s Jack London Square tonight -- on Monday, June 8 -- at 8p.m., the Studio Band gained national recognition when it was named Honors Ensemble in Downbeat Magazine’s 38th Annual Student Music Awards.

The young musicians are excited to perform at European jazz festivals this summer in Vienne, France, Montreux, Switzerland, and at the Umbria Festival in Perugia, Italy.

Led by legendary bandleader, composer and arranger Dave Eshelman, the band sounds mature beyond their musicians’ young ages. These remarkable young musicians from across the Bay Area represent the future of jazz as they live, breathe and sleep the music that has gripped their souls and captured their hearts. They come from all walks and locations - from Berkeley to San Ramon and San Francisco to Walnut Creek to Novato.

Concertgoers can expect incredible arrangements, fiery solos and amazing music, both exploratory and traditional. The group placed third at this year’s national competition Next Generation Monterey Jazz Festival and a number of its soloists are in this year’s GRAMMY band with students selected from around the country. These musicians are the future of jazz, and Yoshi’s is the place to see them before they leave the country June 26.

Tickets for the Jazzschool Studio Band performance tonight at Yoshi’s in Jack London Square are $15 adults and $12 students. Purchase at the door or go to http://www.yoshis.com/event/707529-jazzschool-studio-band-europe-oakland/.

A portion of performance proceeds will support costs associated with the band’s European Tour.

The Jazzschool Studio Band is part of the Community Music School at the California Jazz Conservatory (CJC) in Berkeley. The CJC, an innovative nonprofit organization, is dedicated to the study and performance of jazz and is the only accredited, stand-alone conservatory devoted exclusively to jazz studies in the United States.

Studio Band members are selected yearly by audition; they perform frequently and participate in competitions throughout the U.S.Find out more about the California Jazz Conservatory and the Jazzschool Studio Band at http://www.cjc.edu/community-music-school-youth/youth-ensembles/large-ensembles/

Local talent from Novato include:

Espen Scheuer, 16, plays saxophone with Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School as a member of the Jazz Band and Jazz Combo. Scheuer has won multiple group and solo awards at festivals including Folsom, Reno and Santa Cruz. The band won the Big Band Sweepstakes and his combo took second place at the 2015 Folsom Jazz Festival. He was awarded a scholarship to and attended the Berklee College of Music Summer Intensive and has studied at the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Scheuer also plays with the San Francisco Latin Jazz Youth Orchestra, as well as his own jazz funk combo, which plans to record over the summer.

Adam Miller, 17, attends Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School and plays lead trombone in the Jazz Big Band and Jazz Combo there with Scheuer, earning numerous solo and group awards. He also was a member of the California Music Educators’ Association (CMEA) Bay Section Honor Band. He was awarded a 2015 scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music summer intensive. He has competed at festivals including the Next Generation Monterey Jazz Festival, and other festivals including Reno, Folsom and Santa Cruz. In addition, Miller plays trombone in a Berkeley ska band and plays guitar in a funk cover band. Both groups, along with his high school jazz combo, regularly perform at Bay Area venues and private events across the Bay Area. He plans to pursue a college major in jazz performance, at either a university or conservatory.