Ken Emerson Presents Hawaiian Jazz Master Class
Kenton Robert Lopaka Emerson is a San Francisco Bay Area born/ Hawaiian island bred guitarist who covers many musical genres. He has played his special blend of Blues/Jazz Hawaiian guitar for 40 years. His original compositions and performances on ’Slack Key Guitar Vol 2’ (Palm Records) helped bring in the first ever 2005 GRAMMY award for Hawaiian music. ’KE’ most recently played on Donald Fagen’s 2007 GRAMMY winning "Morph the Cat" album.
Hawaiian music runs a common thread throughout his family’s roots. His mandolin playing grandfather Ray Emerson lived in the islands beginning in 1917, and his Grand Uncle Ed played jazz saxophone on the famous Matson Liner ‘Malolo’ in the early to mid 1930’s. His mother Alice was a featured ukulele performer along with her twin sister Agnes at the 1939 world’s fair exhibition in San Francisco. The ukulele she played at that venue proved to be Ken’s first ‘guitar’ at age 7.
In between his love of traditional Hawaiian music, Ken has played and/or toured with many luminaries in the musical world beyond Hawaii including Todd Rundgren, Taj Mahal, Boz Scaggs, Jackson Browne, Donald Fagen, Dave Mason, Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop, Graham Nash, San Francisco’s Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann, Pablo Cruise Band and The Rowan Brothers.
Dividing his time between Kaua’i and San Francisco, Ken plays many local venues and festivals and is a frequent visitor to the east coast of the United States as well as Europe and Asia.
SANTA CRUZ JAZZ FESTIVAL SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 26 & 27, 2010
The SANTA CRUZ JAZZ FESTIVAL will take place in their home at the new Cabrillo College Visual and Performing Arts Center on Friday March 26 and Saturday March 27, 2010.
Over 63 big bands, 23 jazz combos and 16 jazz vocal groups bring in over 2,500 participants plus their families, friends and fans for 2 days and 2 nights of jazz on six performance stages.
These jazz groups represent the best of middle school, high school, community college and university jazz bands from the western United States. A variety of Master Classes will also be presented including jazz improvisatoin, composition and recording technology.
The 2010 "Guest Artist" will be international trumpet phenom and recording star ALLEN VIZZUTTI.
Also new for 2010 is the SCJF web site. This site will provide extensive information for performers and visitors alike: www.scjf.org
The staff and adminstration of the SCJF operates as an all-volunteer organzation. The festival has operated solely on fees paid by the participating schools but is currently looking to expand the scope of the SCJF by seeking sponsors and donations.
Please contact the SCJF if you or your company would like to support jazz and youth music education.
For further information:
Dan Young, President
Santa Cruz Jazz Festival
831-662-3368
info@scjf.org
CHECK OUT THESE LINKS:
Santa Cruz Sentinel
Feature in SC County Office of Education
Article on grand opening of new VAPA at Cabrilllo
