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President's Message

STJS President Tom Duff
Serving June 2010 to June 2012

Tom's message from the December 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

How quickly this year has sped by. It seems as though it was only yesterday when we were taking down the tents of the 2011 festival. We are in the midst of the holiday season that started on 11/11/11 with Veterans Day. I think that it is fitting to thank all the veterans for their service. Thank you for keeping our country safe.

By the time you read this, Thanksgiving will be just a memory. Hope it was great for everyone and that we all gave thanks for all that we have. My wife says that if you eat in celebration, it’s actually negative calories; I sure hope she’s right.

Don’t forget that Mr. Tom Rigney & Flambeau are performing at the Dante Club on Dec 11th. Last year, the place filled to capacity, so please come early. The doors open at 11:30 am. For this concert we raised the price just slightly. This is still a real value at $10 for members ($15 for non-members).

In the last few years, we have done a fund drive in Dec. This year is no different. You may be getting a letter from the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society asking for a donation. STJS is funded in part through the donations of our membership and others that have enjoyed the music that this organization provides. So I am asking that you open your wallets to the tune of $40. This is significant because we are only a little over a year from delivering 40 years of music to Sacramento. This is a big milestone. So please contribute to this program, or the Boosters or Patrons program, to help us make our 40th year great.

Also in January is the STJS yearly Crab Feed. You won’t want to miss this event as it will feature Dr. Bach & the Jazz Practitioners. I have always enjoyed the endless amounts of crab, salads and great music. I have also been able to procure some great items from the silent auction. This is one way to dispose of those Christmas gifts that are not quite what you wanted. Call the jazz office for any donations to the auction. Mark Saturday, Jan. 28th on your calendar. (See page 4.)
Well that’s a wrap for 2011. I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a great 2012. Have a wonderful holiday season and don’t forget the “negative calories.”

Tom's message from the November 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

It has been an interesting month at the STJS Office. Planning for the 2012 Sac. Music Festival is moving along at a unbelievable pace. Vivian, our executive director, has done an excellent job managing our organization and the music festival. Thank you to all of you that filled out the form of your “Top 10 Festival Favorites.” I have read every one of them, and your suggestions for bands and musicians will be considered in making our decisions. We cannot bring all the bands you wish to see every year, but many of your favorites will be there.

We are working with a company called EventBrite for online ticketing as we are now in the 21st century. This company provides the ability to purchase tickets from sacmusicfest.com, then send them direct to your e-mail. You print the tickets at home and take them to one of our six Admission Sales locations to exchange for a badge or wrist band. They also give us the capability to use social media to publicize our event—a great addition to our modernization effort.

You may have also noticed last month that the Early Bird Discount tickets are on sale. The All-Events badge for members is still only $85. You cannot beat seeing four days of great music for this unbelievable price. (But wait there’s more...) Early purchase enters you into a prize drawing to win four days in a luxury suite at the Holiday Inn, plus $100 in festival food and beverage tickets. Last year’s winner, Mary Reilly, wrote: “As the winner of the Early Bird prize, I want to thank you for a fantastic four days at the Holiday Inn. The suite with a great view of the river and tower bridge was magnificent, and it was a great location for enjoying all that great jazz!”

We have also changed the age for Youth badges to be more family friendly. In previous years, a badge was needed for anyone age 7–20 yr. This year, we have revised that age range to 13–21 yr., so anyone age 12 or younger is admitted FREE —yes, I said free. Hopefully this policy will encourage families to come to the festival. Early Bird Youth badges are $45.

The decision to move our warehouse (as a cost-saving measure) gave us the opportunity to do some house cleaning. We were fortunate to come across a great moving company. If you plan to move, consider using A Better Moving Company; they are professional, fast, meticulous, and priced right. I want to personally thank Steve, Jason, James, Jeremy, Jeff, Joshua, Marcus, Haywood, John, Robert, Daniel, Ken, and Mario for all the hard work. We also appreciate all the work that our Warehouse and Construction Crew has done over the years to build out the festival and our other events. We’re always looking for great volunteers if any of you are interested.

Tom's message from the October 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

The definition of insanity if doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That has been the legacy of the Sacramento Jazz Festival, now the Sacramento Music Festival. Over the last several years, many jazz festivals in the West have closed their doors because the revenue simply was not there. Our festival has been plagued by lower attendance as well. I am happy to announce that with the new name, there has been a renewal and excitement within the Sacramento Community, which we believe will equate to real dollars in sponsorships and increased attendance. Our recent press release has had positive results if the calls to the office are any indication. It is my hope that the 2012 Festival will have higher attendance and increased revenues. Ultimately, a successful festival will help bring success to STJS with all of its programs.

The fans that attend the Sacramento Music Festival this year will experience much of the old, but also some new and diversified talent. Over the years, this festival has brought new talent for our patrons to enjoy and, perhaps, even help new artists launch their careers. We intend to continue to do that. To give you a little preview of the 2012 Music Festival, we are announcing a preliminary list of invited bands (in alphabetical order):
101st Army Dixieland Band, Brady McKay & the Neurotypicals, High Sierra, Night Blooming Jazzmen, Original Wildcat Jass Band, the Reynolds Brothers, Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Uptown Lowdown, and guest artist Bob Draga. Many more to come... and the schedule is subject to change if musicians can’t make it.

I want to thank all of you that supported me in the Race for the Arts. I was able to raise money for the Society thanks to the generous donations of several members. Some have requested that they remain anonymous, so I will not mention their names here, but you know who you are. A big Thank You.

Fundraising is always an important aspect to any non-profit organization. The money that our Sponsors give to us is vital to the health of STJS. Our major sponsor, The Golden One Credit Union, has given us really stellar support over the years, and they are much appreciated. So, if any of you are looking for financial services, please consider The Golden One. Along the line of sponsorships, we are bringing on a sponsorship development person. Please extend a warm welcome to Valerie Weinberg. Valerie has extensive experience in sponsorship development, and I expect we will see additional sponsorships coming to our organization very soon. Thank You, Valerie, for joining our team

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Tom's message from the September 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Last month I let everyone know that Greg Willett stepped down as the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society’s Executive Director. I am delighted to report to you that our Business Manager, Vivian Abraham, has offered to hold that position on an interim basis. Without missing a beat, Vivian is very busy planning our 2012 event. We are starting to book the talent, and making the changes that are necessary for this organization to stay solvent.

Now for the really big news. The Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society Board of Directors, in a historic decision, voted to change the name of the “Sacramento Jazz Festival & Jubilee” to the “Sacramento Music Festival.” This decision was made for several reasons. Currently, the Festival provides many forms of music. At the festival in recent years, we have had blues, R&B, Western swing, zydeco, Latin, as well as traditional jazz. The new name gives us the opportunity to attract an audience that enjoys all types of music but thinks our festival is only traditional jazz. Once at the event, they will have the opportunity to experience Trad, and some—I am sure—will realize that they like this genre of music. The name change will also give us the ability to attract new sponsors and bring new money into our organization. With increased revenue, we can bring in more of the talent that all of you have been asking for. This is all very positive for STJS.

Unfortunately, the Orange Co. Classic Jazz Festival held its final event last month due to rising costs, and declining revenue and sponsorships. It is sad to see yet another trad festival go away, but it’s a reminder of how much is required to present such events: time, energy, money, and hard work by dedicated staff and volunteers. We applaud them for 12 great festivals.

In August, both the adult and youth Trad. Jazz Camps were held at Sly Park. This was a great experience for the next generation of musicians to learn jazz. Many of these musicians will have the opportunity to play at the “Sacramento Music Festival.” I appreciate all the Camp faculty and staff, and the campers for attending this special event, and the camp counselors (former campers) for helping at camp and also performing a set at the Youth Camp Concert on Aug. 13.

There is still time to support this organization with the annual community fundraiser, Race for the Arts. You can support the organization and your favorite walker/runner by making pledges and submitting donations up until Sept 30th. Get more info at <www.sacjazz.org>. If you do not have a favorite walker/runner, you can support me. I took part in this run/walk that took place on Aug 27th.

Tom's message from the August 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

The first part of this article is difficult to write. I regret to inform you that Greg Willett, Executive Director of STJS, has submitted his resignation and will have stepped down by the time you read this. Greg has done a fantastic job over the last year of stepping into this role and moving both the Society—and especially the festival—to another level. Greg, in this position, has put in literally hundreds of hours working on building the sponsorship program and keeping the Jazz Society afloat through 2011. I have enjoyed very much working with you, Greg, and I congratulate you on your future endeavors. You have left very big shoes to fill. Thanks for your time with STJS. You will be missed.

It is with much sadness that I inform you of the passing of Joan Needham after her bout with cancer. Joan was a longtime member and volunteer for STJS and the Jazz Festival. Joan, and husband Hal, handled the Jubilee “Special Projects” for many years. Joan took care of anything to do with the Emperors, the Hall of Fame candidates, and the coordination of the parade reviewing stand. She was passionate and a perfectionist. Hal and Joan also assisted in proofing the Festival schedule and made sure all was correct before it was submitted to the printer. Of course, she also was a very active President’s wife. She loved the STJS and was always willing to step up and do any job that needed to be done.

In 1985 the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society launched an endeavor to promote classic American Jazz to young jazz musicians. I am speaking about the STJS Trad. Jazz Camps. In 1985, the camp (located in Sly Park) was only for the young musicians. It was expanded to also include a week for adults. The Camps, adult and youth, started on July 31 of this year and go until August 13. This great event will be followed by the Youth Camp Concert on Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Dante Club. This gives anyone who attends a great perspective on how these young musicians have progressed in their music education.

I want to thank all the members who have stepped up to volunteer for STJS projects. I truly appreciate your help. We certainly need additional volunteers, so if you wish to help out with some of our projects, or just want to give of your time to the organization, please contact me. Below, note that I have set up a special email address for your responses, so please email me at sacjazzpres2011@comcast.net or call the STJS Office.

Tom's message from the July 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

The 2011 Jazz Festival & Jubilee is in the books. Who called for the rain on Saturday, anyway? As the clouds started building on Saturday afternoon, I was hoping that we did not get a downpour that would ruin this great event, but the rain did come. Except for some inconvenience, the bands continued to play, and we all endured. The festival continued through the weekend and became quite successful. The final numbers are not in yet, but I will expect that we will have done okay, rain and all.

This year, I received many compliments on the quality of the sound, the selection of talent, and how organized the festival seemed to be. I can take absolutely NO credit for that. There are so many folks to thank that I am sure I will forget some, so I apologize in advance. I want to first and foremost thank Mr. Greg Willett, whose long hours of work really paid off. You did a great job, Greg! Next, I would like to thank our outstanding office staff, consisting of Vivian Abraham and Jennifer Colindres. You certainly achieve the impossible, year after year. The Operations Team of Grif Alm, Dennis Grimes, Bob Harries, Bob Mattingly, Crawford Paton, David Lambros, Kathleen Kelly, and Vivian Abraham really stepped up. Many of them took on new positions this year and executed flawlessly. Nancy Giffin also deserves thanks for her photos, videos, and hard work on the website, e-blasts, newsletter, Facebook and other things that project the STJS image to all of the festivals customers. Thanks to Jim Casseli for working on our “go to market” strategy. Thanks to Scott Kaufman for running another exuberant Swing Dance Contest! And thanks to the 2000 volunteers and managers that spent hundreds of hours planning and executing the tasks of their respective committees. You all are fantastic!

Following the festival every year, we have our annual BOARD ELECTIONS. I appreciate all who took the time to come and vote for their chosen candidates. We had an exceptional pool of applicants, but only a few can come out victorious. Ron Swehla, the incumbent, was elected as Secretary. The newly elected musician members are: incumbent Paula Dula, Jay Paulus, and Gary Reynolds. Non-musician members are incumbent Yvonne Au, and Carol Fusaro. Welcome to all new board members; thank you for volunteering to serve.

For the last few months, we have asked for volunteers to assist with both society and festival-related projects in the office. I am disappointed to say that no one has offered to assist us with these projects. So again we ask for volunteers that are willing to devote a little of their time on the weekends or evenings. We would love to hear from you. Thanks!

Tom's message from the June 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Most likely when you read this, the 2011 festival will be just another great memory. As I am writing this, the festival has not yet occurred, so I am hoping for great weather and the greatest and most successful event we have had in years. There will be more information on how successful we were in future issues, so stay tuned.

At the Jazz Sunday meeting in June, we will be electing some new members to the board of directors. We have the best field of candidates that we have had in years thanks to the efforts of the Election Committee. Whether you win or lose, I applaud all the candidates for taking the initiative to throw your hat in the ring, writing a candidate statement and supporting this fine organization. If you are successful in this endeavor, you will have the distinguished pleasure to serve on some strategic committees and help the organization develop its go-forward plan. Everyone please get out there and vote for the candidate that you feel will best represent the Jazz Society.

STJS Trad. Jazz Camp
Registration is open for both the youth and adult STJS Trad. Jazz Camps. Improve your skills as traditional jazz musicians or take the next step to “pro.” If you were not aware of these programs, please check out <www.sacjazzcamp.org>
Curtis Brengle (from the Side Street Strutters) will be teaching piano at both camps (in place of Bob Phillips), along with Jason Wanner. The only difference between the two faculties is on banjo/guitar: Katie Cavera at Adult Camp; Eddie Erickson at Youth Camp.

Youth Camp only needs 2 banjo/guitarists, and one singer, while Adult Camp has room on every instrument. The faculty is so great—so friendly, so willing to work with people, and so much fun to jam with. For one week in the Sierras—with your music friends AND The Professors—$800 is really a value.

  At the conclusion of both camps, there is a concert. I know you will enjoy seeing how these musicians of all ages have progressed. YOUTH CAMP CONCERT: Aug 13, noon-4pm at the Dante Club. It features the 2011 youth camp bands as well as their faculty. $7 donation requested.
ADULT CAMP CONCERT: Aug 5, 7-10pm at Sly Park.
We have re-instituted the “Jazz in the Park” concert series. Please keep your eye on the website and this newsletter for specific dates and locations. This program was very well received last year. It provides traditional jazz music in the park in many of the different areas of the city—perhaps in a park near you. And you can’t beat the price; it’s “free."

Tom's message from the May 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

The 2011 Sac. Jazz Festival & Jubilee is once again upon us. Can you believe that it’s 38 years since this event started? How time flies when you’re having fun—and fun it will be! The tag line says,“It’s party time!” From the opening parade to the closing ceremonies, the talent that we have for you is nothing but outstanding. Don’t forget about all the great food and drink that will also be available, all with the atmosphere of Old Sacramento with the river boats and antique trains. Bring all your friends and make it a real party.

I personally have been attending the festival for 27 years. During that time, I’ve made some very good friends. As I was born in the Midwest, both my parents have come out for this great event. My wife volunteers; this year you will see her in the Media Trailer. My sister flies out every year to volunteer and experience the awesome music. I have been very fortunate to work as a volunteer with some great, hardworking folks. This event would not have the atmosphere that it does without the volunteers and office staff that bring this event to Sacramento.

We all have good memories from past jazz festivals. I remember when we were located at Cal Expo and the Radisson Hotel, with all the logistical nightmares it created for me as manager of the transportation system. The reward, however, was when everything worked correctly and we were able to get thousands of customers to the parade on time Friday morning. I remember standing in the pouring rain with my staff of volunteers during the years when we endured that. I recollect dealing with some of the minor injuries that come when thousands of people attend our event. I was always amazed that when the contracted buses did have a minor accident, they always collided with a Cadillac, Lincoln or Mercedes! I am sure all of you have really great stories and memories of past Jubilees.

Congratulations to Mr. Tom Rigney for being selected as this year’s emperor. Emperor at the Sac. Jazz Festival & Jubilee is a special fraternity, and Tom is a great choice. Tom (and his band, Flambeau) has entertained you, the Sacramento Jazz fan, for many years and been very instrumental in the success of the festival. I am sure—this year especially—he will give you a performance to remember. Be sure to take him home with you by purchasing one of his CDs.

It gives me great sadness to write about the passing of Gene Berthelsen. Gene was a past Executive Director of STJS and a personal friend. You will see remembrances of Gene during the festival this year, and I ask you all to raise a glass in celebration of his life. Thank you, Gene, from all of your friends at the Society; you will not be forgotten.

Tom's message from the April 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

As a member of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, .one of your privileges is to elect the officers and board. It is time again to start the process of identifying nominees to the upcoming board positions. You as a member of the Society play a critical role in the direction that is taken in the future. As we prepare to put candidates on the ballot for an election in June, I ask you to find out what the candidates stand for, then get out and vote. If you are interested in seeing what decisions are being made, board meetings are held once a month, usually on the last Monday of the month at 6pm. A full calendar of these meetings is at sacjazz.org/board.html. These meetings are open to the public. Please take a moment this month to make sure your membership is up to date, and vote for the nominee of your choice.

April Jazz Sunday is the last chance to receive your dis-count to the 2011 Sac. Jazz Fest. & Jubilee. These All-Event badges regularly sell for $110, but STJS members pay only $95 until April 10th. Save $15! You don’t want to pass this up. And, of course, we still have opportunities for sponsorships.

Each year STJS provides private music instruction for local elementary, middle and high school students. Jazz Education is a very important part of the mission of the Sacramento Jazz Society in giving Music Lesson Awards. Thanks to the Education Committee, Ken Stephens, Bill Dendle, and Nahum Zdybel for selecting the students that received those awards.

A great big thanks to Kathy Becker. Kathy is affectionately known as the Raffle Lady at the Jazz Sunday concerts where you all generously buy raffle tickets to fund Music Lesson Awards. Kathy has been working wounded the last few months with a broken and recovering collar bone. When you attend Jazz Sunday on April 10th, please be sure to thank Kathy and all the volunteers for their tireless efforts to make these events fun. Without the few hard working folks that put in countless hours, these events would not be possible.

The musicians that STJS has provided to the membership in March and April are outstanding. For STJS to attract talent like Allan Vaché and Dan Barrett to our stage is a credit to this organization. We can thank Chuck & Peggy Butler for sponsoring Allan Vaché’s guest appearance. Please attend our Jazz Sundays and listen to some great, top-notch talent.

STJS Trad. Jazz Camp: Time to sign up for STJS Camp!
Visit the Jazz Camp website for 2011 details:
ADULT Camp runs from July 31–Aug. 5; then
YOUTH Camp runs from Aug. 7–13. <sacjazzcamp.org>

Tom's message from the March 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

On February 2nd, Ground Hog Day 2011, Punxsutawney Phil came out of his burrow and did not see his shadow. According to tradition, we’ll have an early spring. This is great news for the Sacramento Jazz Fans because in 2011, we have some stellar talent and some very hot jazz to entertain you.

I heard many positive comments about the Jan. 29 Crab Feed featuring the Red Skunk Jipzee Swing Band. My thanks go out to Paula Vance and Kathy Becker, who spent countless hours to make this a successful fundraiser for STJS.

The TJYBF (youth festival) was also very successful. It was wonderful to see the talent of these elementary, middle, high school and college performers learning from the best. The clinicians really know how to draw out the best from musicians at all levels, and that is the true meaning of educating. Yvonne Au and all her volunteers did a great job in giving us this event for a 6th year. If you would like to sponsor a young musician or a youth band, please contact Yvonne.

Planning for the 2011 Sac. Jazz Festival continues, and with the predictions of Punxsutawney Phil, the weather will be perfect. The music will be absolutely great as well. There will be more diversity of music than you may have seen in the past, with some new and exciting talent. Visit the website or follow us on Facebook for updates. The office staff is really working hard to provide you with interesting acts, mixing some of your old favorites with new talent not previously seen at this festival. I hope you will enjoy what we have in store for you.

Attention Festival Volunteers: Please complete the Volunteer Information Form on that can be downloaded from www.sacjazz.com in the Volunteer section (lower right). Also please let your manager know if you would like to purchase a volunteer t-shirt, be available for $10. The shirt makes you recognizable as a volunteer and is a great collectable souvenir.

Finally, if you have not signed up for the SacJazz-E-News, please do so by clicking on the link found on the STJS website (sacjazz.org). This monthly e-blast allows STJS to provide rich content that cannot be viewed in paper format. For instance: active links that you can click to receive instant access to, say, the Ground Hog Day website, or the website for Red Skunk Jipzee Swing Band, or the website of Allan Vaché, our Jazz Sunday guest for March, or a YouTube video of Allan on stage with our own John Cocuzzi, etc....

Visit <sacjazzcamp.org>, the STJS Trad. Jazz Camp website for 2011 details: Adult Camp runs from July 31–Aug. 5; Youth Camp runs from Aug. 7–13. Sign up by April 1st.

Tom's message from the February 2011
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

It is less than 4 months until the start of the 2011 Festival, ..and what an exciting time! I know most of the volunteers are engaged with their respective committees to make sure that this festival will be successful. As a volunteer myself, I know the amount of work the volunteers put into this event, so I personally want to thank every one of you.

We are asking the volunteers to fill out an updated information form so that we can use to update our data bases. Please provide us with all the necessary information by filling out the form, which you can download from the Festival website at: http://www.sacjazz.com/volunteers.php

The selection of talent is finalized, and you will hear more about that in the coming weeks. John Cocuzzi and the Talent Selection Committee have done an excellent job selecting the finest bands available for our event. I am sure that you will enjoy the talent they have provided. Due to time constraints, John has decided to step down as Artistic Director for the Festival. The society and I would like to thank John for his hard work in this role. John will certainly be missed.

We are still looking for sponsorships for the 2011 Festival. If you are involved with a business that would like to sponsor a venue, a golf cart, a band, or just have their name posted, please contact the office. We will also accept sponsorships from individuals.

Another upcoming event that you won’t want to miss is the 6th annual Traditional Jazz Youth Band Festival (TJYBF) on Feb 12 at Sacramento State University. You can enjoy a full day of music by some great “up and coming” musicians — all for the extraordinary price of $10 in advance / $12 at the door. The entertainment starts at 8am and continues until 5:30pm. Encore performances run from 5:30–7pm. Then in the evening, starting at 7pm, you can also appreciate the music of the TJYBF Clinicians Band with 2011 Guest Clinican Bria Skonberg from New York.

The next day, Feb 13, is our monthly Jazz Sunday concert at the Dante Club. Bria Skonberg will again be featured with Bob Draga and Eddie Erickson. A weekend of music is a good way to deal with football season withdrawals. See you all there!!

The board has started planning for the 2012 Festival. In 2012, you can expect some very significant changes to our event. I am pleased with our strategy and hope you will be, as well. You will hear much more about this in the coming months, so stay tuned. This is a great time to be a member of STJS so make sure that your membership is up to date.

Tom's message from the Dec.'10/Jan.'11
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

The 2011 Sac. Jazz Festival & Jubilee is fast approaching. Perhaps you have read about the Early Bird Discount tickets and Prize Drawing here or on the website, received the e-blast or picked up one of the printed flyers at the Sunday concert. In the office, there is an intensified focus on planning the best festival we’ve had in years. We’ve put together some of the best talent available, and I am sure that you will be excited with our selections. [More will be announced soon.]

In case you haven’t heard, the economy is still soft, and unlike the federal government, we cannot print our own money. We are constantly looking at our budget and looking for ways to do things better, but at lower cost. We cannot provide every band that people want to see every year. So I apologize if your favorite band is not included this year. However... if you have some extra money this year, or if your workplace or friends would like to sponsor that special performance, we would certainly like to talk with you. We have sponsorships at all levels from golf carts all through venues, and everything in between (and yes, even the bands).

STJS is kicking off our end-of-year fundraising campaign “Keep Jazz Alive in 2011.” If you want a great way to get a tax deduction, the Jazz Society is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission of promoting traditional jazz music. Your donation will be put to good use and help keep jazz alive. Mail a check or donate online at <sacjazz.org>. Thank you for your charity.

Keep in mind all the fun activities that we have coming up. Enjoy the extra room you will have in your garage if you participate in our E-Waste Recycling Day on Dec 11th. I will see you all at the “Up Close & Personal” with Tom Hook and Bob Draga on Dec 2nd. And don’t forget the Crab Feed coming Jan 29th. Paula Vance always does a great job with this event, and it’s always a good time. You can also dispose of those unwanted Christmas gifts by giving them to her Silent Auction. Musical entertainment at the Jan. 29 Crab Feed includes Greg Willett on piano followed by the RedSkunk Jipzee Swing Band that features four of our Jazz Camp alumni. Speaking of our youth programs, we have the TJYBF coming up on Sat., Feb. 12. There’s a link to the youth band festival from our STJS Home page at sacjazz.org if you want all the details. And of course, don’t miss the next Jazz Sunday with TOM RIGNEY & FLAMBEAU at the Dante Club Dec 14th. This will be the event of the year, and give everyone a chance to meet the 2011 Emperor.

In closing, I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving, and that the Holiday Season treats you well. Thanks for all your support!

Tom's message from the November 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

I was in Home Depot this week and surprised to see that the Christmas displays were already in place before the middle of October. So as Roger Krum used to say, it is now 7 months and 4 days until the 2011 Sac. Jazz Festival & Jubilee. The planning is on track and the talent is being selected to make this better than last year—a tall order.

Most of you know that Greg Willett has taken over the role of Executive Director replacing Jill Harper. Jill has supported STJS for many years and has been instrumental in keeping the organization running and profitable. She will continue to provide her financial expertise to the Society. Thank you again, Jill, for all your hard work.

Greg Willett has been responsible for sponsorships last year and improved that program immensely. He brings a different dimension to the position of executive director (with his background in media sales) and has been tirelessly working to improve both the Society and Festival. Please come by the office and meet with Greg. He is always looking for good volunteers and ideas.

Speaking of the office, we have a new look at the Festival office. We have been busy updating our computers, installing new ones and modernizing. Our server was donated by Mike Avakian from Johnson Controls with Dennis Curry as the facilitator. I would like to thank both of them for this contribution. We also are in the midst of an office painting project. I know you will all miss the Pepto Bismol pink, but I think you will like our new colors as well. Sherwin-Williams has donated all the paint for the project, and I would like to personally thank them for their support. So if you are getting your home painted in the near future, please consider Sherwin Williams as your paint supplier. I would also like to thank our painting crew (Dave & Kathy Becker, Linda Turman, Greg Pulley, and Greg Willett) for all their hard work.

With Christmas decorations in the stores, I am once again reminded that tax time is right around the corner. So if you are looking for ways to reduce your taxes and would like to contribute to the Jazz Society, your dollars will go to a very good cause. As always thank you in advance for your support.

In the coming months, visit the Festival website <sacjazz.com> for the latest information on what is happening with your Jazz Festival, and visit <sacjazz.org> for information on the Society. While you are on the Festival site, you can use PayPal to purchase your Early Bird Discount tickets online. They make great stocking stuffers or even turkey stuffers.

Tom's message from the October 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

The change of seasons from summer to autumn is upon us and changes are occurring at STJS. If you attended the Desert Cities Jazz Band concert with Debby Boone and Hal Linden, all I can say is WOW! What a great concert and a fun time. Big thanks to Jim Roberson for pulling off this event and to the volunteers who gave their time to make it a success. The River Cats game was also a good, fun time at the old ballpark. Everyone who attended said we should make this an annual event. I couldn’t agree more!!

There are major changes in the Office. First, Bill Evans retired from his employment as warehouse manager effective Sept 1st. Bill spent 32 years working for the Jazz Society and has been an integral part of the festival, Jazz Camps, and the Society’s operations. Please join me in thanking Bill for his service to our organization, and wish him well in the next chapter of his life.

The Jazz Society also accepted the resignation of Jill Harper as Executive Director. Thank you, Jill, for your unfailing service to the organization! Jill has been involved with the Society for many, many years and has put her heart and soul into our organization. Jill will be available to provide assistance as our new director transitions in and she continues to manage and develop grants and programs for the Society.

Greg Willett accepted the position of Executive Director effective Oct 1, 2010, and I am excited to have him in that role. Greg has extensive experience in sales and sponsorships, and brings a new dimension to STJS and the many activities of our society. I know all of you will provide support to Greg and all the activities that he is planning. Please join me in welcoming Greg to his new position.

As I mentioned in last month’s article, we are sprucing up the office and providing upgraded technology. This gives us the capabilities to enhance our volunteer and membership databases as well as find better ways to manage our events. A big thank you to everyone who assisted me in networking the office: David Hickok, Paul Robb, Dave Becker and Mark Naber. In keeping with upgrading the office, we are looking for volunteers to assist us in painting the office as well. Please call the office to sign up, then be sure to bring your brushes, rollers and pans. You can’t beat the companionship we volunteers provide to one another!

The STJS newsletter has been arriving late or not at all for the last two months—a very serious matter related to our mass mailing service, and it will be corrected. See the related article (at left) by Felix Smith. Thank You for your patience.

Finally, you don’t want to miss Jazz Sunday in Oct. featuring RedSkunk Jipzee Swing Band. If you saw them at the Jazz Festival & Jubilee, then you know that they are a “must see.”

Tom's message from the September 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Summer is almost over, and by the time you are reading this, the Desert Cities Jazz Band concert and Sac. Jazz Night at the River Cats will also be over. I thank all of you that came out to support your Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society at both of these events. We are continuing to provide Sacramento with the Jazz in the Park series and have two concerts coming in September. The first one on Sunday, Sept 19th will feature the Vivian Lee Quartet and should be one great time. Then on Sunday Sept 26th, Nagual will provide some great Latin music. More information can be obtained by checking www.sacjazz.org. Come out and meet some of the board members and your president. I am always interested in your ideas on improving the Society.

The youth and adult Jazz Camps were a great success. My congratulations go out to all the students that completed that program. I hope that your experience at camp will be a catalyst that drives your music endeavors to the next level.

The board has finalized the appointment of the STJS committees, and they are all busy planning talent and events for the Jazz Sunday concerts and the Festival. Dave Becker has taken over the lead of the Membership Committee from Felix Smith. I would like to thank Felix for his contribution to STJS and look forward to his ideas to improve STJS. Dennis Curry has also taken over the lead role on the Jubilee Management Committee, and I know he will do a great job making the Festival successful. My thanks to all the committees for all your hard work.

The Jazz Society has gone green. We are working with Set It Aside <http://www.setitaside.com> to not only reduce the Jazz Society's carbon footprint but also generate some revenue doing it. See another article in this publication for additional information, and remember that you can read the newsletter (and find archives) online at www.sacjazz.org

Our office is moving into the 21st century with the use of upgraded technology. You will notice in the coming months some exciting changes in the office. The use of technology should make us more efficient and will save money in the long run. There is also a rumor that we will be painting the office.

To all the members, volunteers and staff, thank you for supporting the Jazz Society, and for all your hard work.

Tom's message from the August 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

It gives me great pleasure to announce that the 37th annual Sacramento Jazz Festival & Jubilee was a tremendous success. By every measure you pulled off the impossible. The festival grew at a time when festivals all around the country were failing. A big thanks to the musicians, sponsors, volunteers, members and staff whose hard work made this event a reality. Planning has already started for the 38th Festival and it promises to be even better yet. Our talent committee is busy selecting the absolute best bands we can find, and I am sure that you will be pleased with their choices. Our goal is to make each and every festival unique and fresh, and of course, increase our attendance.

This year, you will see new and exciting benefits being a member of the Jazz Society, and improvements to the ones that you enjoy. Mr Ringwald has brought a stellar lineup for Jazz Sunday, including The Professors in Aug. and many more to follow. I also hope you enjoyed the concerts featuring the Jazz Camp students on July 31st and August 7th.

Don’t forget to come out to the ballpark and support STJS and your Sacramento River Cats and on Thursday, Aug 19 at Raley Field in West Sacramento. I very much value our partnership with the River Cats and thank them for their sponsorship. This will be a very fun event and I hope you can attend. See the Sacramento River Cats vs. Iowa Cubs. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from the STJS Office.
It’s not too late to get your tickets for the Northern California appearance of Allen Goodman’s Desert Cities Jazz Band featuring Debby Boone and Hal Linden on August 28. This will be a fundraiser for STJS Jazz Camps. Tickets are on sale now at the jazz office or online. Advance tickets for STJS members are $40 each; tickets at the door will be $50. This is one not to miss, so purchase your tickets today and save $10. Student price is $15, so please Send-a-Student if you can; it's tax deductible.

With the new board you can expect some very exciting changes. We are working hard to improve the Society. Please provide your input by taking the 2010 Sac. Jazz Fest. & Jubilee ONLINE SURVEY. While you are on the Web, visit the STJS Home page where you can read the latest “AATJ” newsletter (in PDF format) and find some previous issues as well. If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to sign-up for the E-news. These e-blasts are sent periodically with details of upcoming STJS events, and it’s a great way to get jazz information sent directly to your inbox.

We welcome your input and will strive to make this year the best the Jazz Society has ever had.

STJS President Jim Roberson
Serving June 2008 to June 2010

Jim Roberson's message from the July 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

It is official. The 2010 Sac. Jazz Festival & Jubilee was…iwait for it…FABULOUS! I want to thank all of the volunteers, the staff, the musicians, the board of directors and our fans for making the festival a success.

This is my last message to you as president, and I particularly want to thank Gene Berthelsen and Jill Harper for serving as our executive directors and giving their all for our society during the past two years. I also want to thank past presidents Bob Williams and Vince Bartels for giving me the support I needed when I needed it.

Thanks for allowing me to serve as your president. The most satisfying moment for me was when we asked you to send us $36 to save the jazz society with Campaign 36. You sent in $43,000 that literally saved STJS and helped us make it to the 2009 Festival. Other favorites: two successful festivals… Count Basie… Molly Ringwald… Youth Camp’s 25th Anniversary… TJYBF (youth festival)… New Lowdown… RedSkunk Jipzee Swing… the Divas with Paula Dula… Crab Feeds… Bob Ringwald’s great programs.

Tom Duff is your newly elected president and he is going to be great. Tom has served STJS for many years on the Jubilee Management Committee and as the go-to-guy for festival transportation and parking. Ron Jones, our new VP is a long time supporter of our youth programs. I am encouraged by the makeup of the new board of directors. Please welcome Tom and his team and give them your support.

Finally, we have turned a corner at STJS and we have done it by believing in what we are doing, working hard and approaching our work with a positive attitude and a lot of enthusiasm.  We do this for fun.  We can do great things when we are positive about what we do. If you believe that our society and our work are important, please show up and be part of it...all year long. And please, make it your job to be a goodwill ambassador for STJS.

Coming up August 28th at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento: the Desert Cities Jazz Band featuring three-time Grammy winner Debby Boone and TV’s Hal Linden. It all goes to support the jazz camps. Tickets are on sale now at sacjazz.org and the STJS Office. Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Thanks for everything…ALOHA! — Jim Roberson

Jim's message from the June 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Well, the 37th annual Sacramento Jazz Festival and Jubilee has come and gone, and as usual, I am writing about it before it has occurred. Since so many of my favorite bands were there, including some great new bands, I am sure I really enjoyed it. I hope it was your best festival ever and that next year will again be the best ever. If you picked up one of our fliers about the 2011 festival, you know about many of the great bands already lined up for next year. But 2010 is not over by a long shot; we have many great activities planned for the rest of 2010...

Bob Ringwald has done a great job lining up talent for our Jazz Sundays, winding up the year with Tom Rigney & Flambeau in December. July is the Parade of Bands which will be great fun. The Jazz in the Park concerts have already started and you will be able to enjoy these free concerts…two in June and two in September.

We have two big events planned for August. First, we are going out to the ball game with the River Cats on August 19th. [Refer to Jill’s column.] Then, on Sat., August 28, we are putting on a great concert to raise money for our jazz camps, and we really need your financial support. In doing so, you’ll enjoy the first Northern California appearance of the Desert Cities Jazz Band featuring Hal Linden (yes…Barney Miller…that Hal Linden) on clarinet with special guest star: three-time Grammy winner Debby Boone singing a tribute to her late mother-in-law, the great Rosemary Clooney. Everyone in this band is an all-star, and this concert is not to be missed. Tickets go on sale June 17th at the STJS Office and online at www.sacjazz.org, are reasonably priced with a discount for STJS members.

Please don’t forget that Jazz Sunday on June 13th is Election Day. Our nominating committee has put forth a great slate of candidates for your consideration, and every one of these people has been an important contributor to our jazz society. You can vote absentee, and we will appreciate your votes. Be sure your membership is up to date.

Coming up on June 13th…Jazz Sunday…Bria Skonberg! Bria is a favorite at jazz festivals all over the world and teaches at our jazz camps. Don’t miss it! Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the May 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Holy Cow! The 37th annual Sacramento Jazz Festival and Jubilee is this month, and our staff and volunteers have been working like crazy to make it fabulous. It is time for all of our jazz friends who don’t yet have their tickets to buy their tickets. It is so much nicer when you buy your tickets ahead of the festival (skip the lines), and it really helps our jazz society with the old cash flow. With our great website, it’s so easy to learn all about the festival and buy your tickets right from the website at www.sacjazz.com/. Or if you prefer, you can call the jazz office and be well taken care of by our thoughtful staff and volunteers: (916) 372-5277, ext. 19. The website shows the music schedule for the weekend, so you can plan ahead. This will be one of our best festivals ever, and you all really need to be there or you will miss all the fun…I am serious!

Tickets are also on sale for our Thursday Night Kickoff Party at Freeway Gardens featuring two bands that are handpicked for the occasion. Buy tickets online, at the Office or at the door. Details are on the Festival website: www.sacjazz.com/

Bob Williams wrote eloquently two years ago about all the good things jazz music does for us, including helping us live longer. Last month, Yvonne and I were in Palm Springs visiting musician friends and had the privilege of meeting the great vocalist Herb Jeffries. Herb sang with Earl “Fatha” Hines before he became a movie star and joined Duke Ellington’s orchestra in the 40s and became the band’s best known vocalist. He recorded “Flamingo,” which sold 50 million copies—and that was when 50 million was a lot—and is closely associated with the Duke Ellington hit “Satin Doll.” Herb is 96 years old, sharp as a tack, still performing, and still has that wonderful, deep-singing voice we all remember. More jazz music please!

The dancers are “picking ‘em up and settin’ ‘em down,” and the crowds are showing their pleasure at Jazz Sunday. In March, we finally got the dance floor in the right place to properly accommodate our dancers and our other jazz aficionados, and we received some nice letters telling us how much you like the new setup. Thanks for your patience while we figured out what to do. Credit goes to Charlie Gehlbach, Judy Hendricks and our Music Committee and Sound Crew.

Coming up on May 9th…Jazz Sunday…renowned So. Cal. boogie-woogie pianist Carl Sonny Leyland—really a fun performer! Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the April 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

We received a letter from Arnelle Sanford who lost her beloved husband, Wayne, last year. They were longtime STJS members and loved our festival. She plans to be at the jazz festival this year and bring her friends. Wayne always told Arnelle that, “JAZZ washes off the dust of every day life.” I like that and thought you would, too.

In 1984, when the STJS Foundation was formed, it seemed like STJS turned over the subject of estate planning to the Foundation and didn’t pay much attention to it anymore. In my opinion, we need to refocus our attention in this area. The STJS Foundation is narrowly focused on youth education (specifically scholarships, music lessons and the jazz camps). The scope of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society is much broader, and we need financial help in all areas. We have been running our jazz society on fumes during the six years I have been here, and we need to pay our debts and get on solid ground. Yet we have not been asking our members and friends who are committed to our music and our mission to remember STJS in their estate planning.

So now we are asking. You love our music, and many of you have been involved with STJS for all of the more than 40 years we have been presenting great jazz in Sacramento. You love our mission of educating young people about traditional jazz and swing music. You have shown your love for the music and our jazz society in so many different ways, for many years. We are asking you to remember not only the STJS Foundation in your estate planning, but STJS as well. The music we represent is America’s most significant artistic legacy…please help us preserve this legacy for future generations.

It’s time to buy your tickets for the Festival if you haven’t already. BIG PARTY for the Thursday Night Kickoff Party on May 27th at Freeway Gardens! Gates open at 5pm. We’ll have two bands, starting with the soulful New Orleans rhythms of the California Honeydrops from San Francisco, followed by the Sacramento party band Aftershock. Buy tickets at the office, or you can order tickets by mail: download the order form on the festival website at www.sacjazz.com/tickets/ and mail it with payment to the STJS Office.

Bob Ringwald has joined the board of directors in place of Bill Bua, who resigned from the board and from his positions as Music Director of the Gold Card Room and Gold Card Coordinator. Thanks for your time and service Bill, and best wishes.

Coming up in April…Jazz Sunday with renowned jazz pianist John Sheridan. Huge talent—be there! Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the March 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

JAZZ ME! This is an exciting time of year. It is a new year and we are very active at STJS. In January, we enjoyed a wonderfully successful Crab Feed thanks to organizer Paula Vance and her crew, and in February, we were treated to a fabulous Trad. Jazz Youth Band Festival at Sacramento State followed by a great Jazz Sunday event featuring jazz rascals Bob Draga, Jason Wanner and “Fast Eddie” Erickson. These guys were all involved in the youth festival and do tireless work for jazz education. Congratulations to Yvonne Au and all her musicians and volunteers.

Sad news…we lost two of our Jazz Emperors, Jake Hanna and Tom Saunders. Both of these men devoted many years to our festival. Tom will be remembered for his music and his finely tuned sense of humor. Jake was one of the world’s greatest drummers. Jake and I met when I was 18 years old, and I have written here about what a wonderful heart he had and what he did for young people. Bob, Jason and Eddie played “Amazing Grace” in an unforgettable tribute. God bless Tommy and Jake, and their families.

Better news…thank you all for keeping Roger Krum in your thoughts and prayers. Roger went through a difficult surgery and is involved in a slow recovery. Keep sending out good vibes for Roger and his family.

JAZZ ME! For most of us, it’s all about the music. I recommend a healthy dose of jazz therapy to all of our musician members…show up at Jazz Sunday and blow!

I joined STJS to make friends and play music. I had been to the adult Jazz Camp and when I moved back to California, I knew that this was the place to be to have maximum fun playing music with people I like. I also love to listen to great music, and STJS really fills the bill on that front. JAZZ ME! “A can a week is all I ask,” as they say on TV.

As your president, trying to keep this STJS boat afloat and put on a great festival takes up a lot of time and concentration doing things other than playing and listening to music, so this is a good time to remind myself and all of you, my friends, why we are involved and so committed to STJS. We love the music; we love playing it…we love listening to it…we love dancing to it. Jazz music is a totally joyful experience. A pianist friend of mine once told me, “a life without music is an incomplete life.” So, let’s all make sure we stop, smell the coffee and enjoy the music. JAZZ ME…and help make our lives complete.

Jazz Sunday in March: Frederick Hodges, renowned San Francisco jazz pianist and vocalist…why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the February 2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Happy New Year! The Holidays are over; time to focus on upcoming events for the jazz society. There is a lot of activity during the winter months. Many of you will have already attended events I can only anticipate as I write this column. For example, this coming Sunday’s Rent Party with tons of great entertainment…I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I hope I did. Also coming up (as I write this), the Crab Feed on Jan. 30, the Traditional Jazz Youth Band Festival on Feb. 13 at Sac State (big jam the night before), and Jazz Sunday on Feb. 14 featuring Bob Draga, Jason Wanner and Eddie Erickson…WOW! Thanks for coming to the Rent Party and Crab Feed, and I will see you at the TJYBF and February Jazz Sunday.

Congratulations to Ron and Patti Jones, Yvonne Au, Bob Draga, Jason Wanner, Shelley Denny, Steve Homan, Sister Swing, our sound crew and all the volunteers for a fabulous December fundraiser at the Sacramento Yacht Club to benefit the Youth Festival. “Up Close & Personal” was a perfect jazz evening and a huge financial success.

Time to buy your tickets for the Jazz Festival, even if you didn’t make it for the Early Bird Special. We need every member and friend of STJS to step up to the plate…early! Our committees and staff have done a wonderful job planning the festival. It is going to be a great one… Molly Ringwald…The Quebe Sisters…Loose Marbles…Emperor Bob Draga…Tom Rigney & Flambeau…Bill Allred’s Classic Jazz Band…Cornet Chop Suey…Louis Ford & His New Orleans Jazz Flares…Simon Stribling and the New Orleans Ale Stars…Billy Mata and Texas Tradition…High Sierra Jazz Band…Royal Society Jazz Orchestra…Tom Hook…Bria Skonberg and many more of our favorite bands and great all-stars.

Money Stuff—good news and the other kind. There is a lot of good news for our jazz society, but like always, we have some hard facts to step up to as prudent financial managers.
First the good news… the 2009 festival was an artistic and financial success. We made a profit even though our 2009 sponsorships were less than half of the 2008 level. Our revenue was just about on budget, and we cut costs in many areas. Everyone did his or her part to make it a success in this recession and deserves to be congratulated, including Gene Berthelsen and Jill Harper, all of our staff, our festival committees, our musicians, our 2,600 volunteers and our board of directors. Many arts organizations were not so fortunate.

But every silver lining has a cloud. This is a new year, this will be a different festival, and we have many challenges to overcome. The money made during our successful turnaround in 2009 went to pay old bills from 2008, leaving very little cash going forward. Then there is the economy. Despite all the happy faces on TV predicting a pending recovery, we are still in a terrible recession. Millions of people are out of work or receiving reduced pay, and millions of people on fixed incomes—hey, that’s us!—have seen their incomes drop precipitously.

We did our planning for the 2010 festival with great optimism, and we are still optimistic in many ways. After all, the festival represents really good entertainment value. Yet we are realistic in other ways. We revised our 2010 budget and we will be asking the board of directors to approve this budget at the January board meeting. We now know that we are going to be very short on sponsor support in 2010. We understand completely that many of our fine sponsors of years past are supporting people who need shelter, clothing, food and transportation.…but it creates a need for the arts, including STJS, to do things differently. Our attendance may not be what we hoped for, so we are assuming we will have to make up revenue where we can, and cut costs dramatically again. The festival will be about the same size as in the past, with our talent as good as ever. Our cost cutting will involve more the operating and administrative expenses, and focus on the year round activities of STJS.

So, we do need everyone’s support of our festival and other activities, including our youth activities and jazz camps. This is why we are asking you to please buy your festival badges early—we need the money. We will have a fundraising campaign in the next few months, and we really need everyone to respond like they did in 2008 for the $36 campaign that raised $43,000 and helped save our jazz society. This time, we will make it easier: members and friends can put their contributions on credit cards and pay a small amount each month rather than a larger amount up front.

You don’t have to wait for the campaign to begin; we‘d appreciate it if you could write your check now, in any amount, and send it in. We are asking you to help ensure a bright future for STJS and our music education activities.
Plan now on attending Jazz Sunday in February…Draga, Wanner and “Fast Eddie”—why would you want to be anywhere else? And please support the food and beverage services of the Dante Club…these folks help make it all possible.

Jim's message from the Dec.2009/Jan.2010
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

It’s the Holidays! I can’t believe it happened so fast…seems like we just finished with the jazz festival and the jazz camps.

The bands are set for the 2010 festival, and it is going to be another barnburner. Many of our longtime favorites will be there as well as some great newcomers. Molly Ringwald is returning to the festival after a long absence while she went off and wowed everyone in the movies and on television. She has a great band made up of well known Los Angeles recording artists. The Quebe Sisters are young, fabulous singin’ and fiddle-playin’ Western Swing stars from the great state of Texas. Loose Marbles is a young New Orleans street band that is white-hot on the festival circuit right now. The Statesmen of Jazz is a group comprised of world-renowned jazz stars, many of whom will be performing at our festival for the first time. Of course, we will feature our 2010 Emperor Bob Draga, as well as Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Bill Allred’s Classic Jazz Band, Cornet Chop Suey, and many more of our favorite bands. As always, we will have many great all-stars to entertain our fans.

It’s that time of year when we talk about money. (I know we talk about money all year long, but this is the serious time.) Please buy your festival badges before the end of the year; it really helps our society financially, and you get great prices and a shot at the big grand prize at the Holiday Inn. Also, we need our Boosters to step up to the plate this year. The recession has taken a toll on our booster program, and now that the recession is ending—cross your fingers—we need to get things moving again. Come join us at the Crab Feed on January 31, 2010. Lots of crab to go around, a terrific silent auction and great traditional jazz music to set your toes to tappin’. This event provides needed financial support to the society and a really fun evening for our members. Finally, we need support for the Traditional Jazz Youth Band Festival in February. You can show your support to the TJYBF by attending the fundraiser concert, hosted by Ron and Patti Jones, on Thursday, December 3 at the Sacramento Yacht Club, and then by attending the festival itself with a bunch of your friends…this is the future folks. Elsewhere in this newsletter, you can read more about these opportunities to support OKOM. You can also download the flyers from the STJS website at <sacjazz.org>.

Thanks to you all for the recent increase in attendance at Jazz Sunday. We really need for our musicians and fans to continue actively supporting our mission by showing up for Jazz Sunday and having a great time.

I hope that many of you were able to enjoy “The President’s Own” US Marine Band when they appeared at the Memorial Auditorium in October. I know some of you who attended and enjoyed the concert. The Marine Band also performed in Grass Valley and Chico that same week. I was privileged to attend the Grass Valley concert, and it was thrilling beyond all my great expectations. I want to tell you about the most thrilling moment of all, and in the telling, offer a suggestion to the musicians who appear in our festival over the Memorial Day Weekend. As a musician, I have participated many times in the Salute to Service (where the official hymns of each branch of the armed forces are played and veterans of each branch stand to be recognized for their service to our country), but I have never stood up, because I am not a veteran. “The President’s Own” US Marine Band did it differently: Before the Salute to Service, the announcer invited veterans and the family members of veterans to stand during the playing of their particular branch’s hymn. My brother, Wayne, was killed on Iwo Jima in February 1945 while serving with the Fifth Marine Division. In Grass Valley, when the US Marine Band played the Marines’ Hymn as their final offering of the suite, every one of the band members stood up (a thrill to see), and I also stood up to honor my brother in this way for the very first time in my life. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do so. So my suggestion to our musicians who will play the Salute to Service many times next Memorial Day Weekend is to invite the family members of veterans to stand and honor their loved ones who served. I know they will appreciate it.

I want to convey to you all the best holiday wishes from the board of directors and staff of the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society. We are thankful for each and every one of you for the thousands of things you do all year long to support our society, our young people, and our music.

Plan now on attending Jazz Sunday in December and January…Why would you want to be anywhere else? Happy Holidays

Jim's message from the November 2009
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Summer is officially over — time for all of you traveling cats to come back to the Dante Club! Summer is great, but our attendance always suffers because our young-at-heart members are all over the world digging summer life at its best: festivals, cruises, beaches, world travel…you name it. We really miss you and want you there at Jazz Sunday; it’s not the same without you.

Come and enjoy our fall lineup; it’s going to be a “gasser,” as Satchmo would say. If you missed Oct. 11, vocalist Molly Ryan returned home with husband Dan Levinson, one of jazz music’s great reedmen. On Nov. 8, it’s our own John Cocuzzi on vibes, piano and vocals with his wonderful quartet. On Dec. 13, Scott Anthony is back singin’, pickin’ and grinnin’ with the ever-popular Golden Gate Rhythm Machine.

November will be STJS Thanks-giving Month, as we honor and give thanks to our great volunteers who put together Jazz Sunday each month. Come help us thank them all.

We’re looking forward to a full lineup of musicians in the Gold Card Room. I recently had dinner with a good friend who expressed some concerns about the fact that he and others were not getting enough opportunities to perform at Jazz Sunday. Since I joined the society, the GCR has been a source of frustration for many. We strive to keep the quality of the music high and to give all Gold Card members an opportunity to play; some months it works out better than others. Managing the room is not an easy assignment; therefore, I appreciate the time and commitment made by Edd Burhans (in the past) and Bill Bua (at present) to organize and schedule the sets month after month. However, some members think things could be done better. Your input could help. If you have constructive ideas to make it a more enjoyable experience for musicians as well as audience members in the GCR, please drop me a note at the jazz society office or send me an email at <jroberson@mcsweeneyandassociates.com>. I will share your views with the music committee. Most importantly, please attend and play music with us at this coming Jazz Sunday. Also…Gold Card and other musicians: Please come and enjoy yourself making music and meeting new friends in the Tailgate Room.

To our delight, Tom Duff, Chair of the Jubilee Mgmt. Comm. has joined the board of directors, replacing Don Luthringer who resigned to take care of personal and business matters. Nancy Giffin is back editing and producing the newsletter and maintaining our festival and club websites. We wish Don the very best and welcome Tom and Nancy in their new roles.

Plan now on attending Jazz Sunday in November and December — why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the October 2009
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Thanks to our vice president and artistic director John Cocuzzi for presiding over the last board meeting while Eve and I were on vacation. Several people told me John did a great job of planning and conducting the meeting. John is busy working on music selection, festival musician contracts, the budget, and a dozen other things to make our jazz society better.

More good news…this edition of And All That Jazz was edited by none other that our own Nancy Giffin; you will notice the quality for sure. Nancy has been away from the newsletter for a while, but always did such an outstanding job that she set the standard very high. We all hope to have her back on the newsletter again. When you see Nancy, tell her how much you appreciate her efforts.

Scott Kaufman is now officially at work as our marketing director, and we are planning on major improvements in the public relations and marketing areas. Hopefully we can start our festival attendance growing again.

Speaking of the festival, I can’t say much about talent selection yet, because our plans haven’t been finalized, but I will tell you that Molly Ringwald and her fabulous band are going to headline the festival for two shows on one night, and that news has a lot of us boomers really pumped!

We are now in the final stages of the budget process, thanks to the good work of Lisa Negri-Bartels, Jill Harper and John Cocuzzi, as well as Vivian Abraham, Bill Evans and others. It looks like we will survive 2009 and actually make a nice profit on the year. Thanks again to all who made the 2009 Jazz Fest a success. It looks like we have a nice head start into 2010. (That is not to say everything is hunky dory; we still need to boost the sponsorship contributions, achieve substantial Jubilee presales and booster donations, and have a big turnout for the January fundraiser.)

More money stuff…budget now for the fundraiser and the youth jazz festival. Please remember that the point is to fund the jazz society and its good works. Please don’t be shy about sending us a check if you can afford it. Even though we don’t have a specific campaign going on right now, we still have a long way to go before our society is financially healthy.

Gold Card dudes and dudettes: We really need you at Jazz Sunday. We had an acute shortage of trumpet players in September. Good things happen when you jam.

Sadly, all the news is not good this month. Eddie Metz, Jr., who is just like family to us, lost his father. Ed Metz, Sr. was a wonderful musician who was world famous and passed his musical genes on to his kids. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Eddie and his family. We also lost Eddie Higgins, one of the great jazz pianists on this planet and a perennial all-star at our festival. Eddie has been the pianist recently with Vince Bartels’ fabulous group, the Migrant Jazz Workers. His loss leaves a big hole in the music scene.

Plan now on attending Jazz Sunday in October. Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the September 2009
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

I want to start out by paying tribute to Gene Berthelsen, our recently retired executive director. Gene hasn’t gone anywhere. He continues to chair the ever important Jubilee Talent Committee and is doing a great job in getting the lineup set for the 2010 festival. Gene has been a valuable volunteer for our jazz society for as long as we have been here. The 2009 festival was a success due in no small part to Gene’s efforts. As I said last month, many people have called the 2009 festival “one of the best ever.” When you next see Gene, thank him for his dedication and service, and wish him the very best. He has my respect and gratitude for a job well done.

I just this moment received an email from Carl Warmdahl letting me know that the August Jazz Sunday had the best attendance of the year and that the bar did very well. Cheers!!! And a huge thanks to members, musicians, volunteers and everyone else who helped make the August Jazz Sunday a success.

We have many changes at STJS with a ton of accompanying positive energy to tell you about.

Jill Harper has stepped in as our interim executive director. Jill is a founding member of STJS and has served as President, Executive Director and everything else over the past forty years. Jill’s great work on the budget helped move the jazz society forward last year. She knows the numbers and is uniquely suited to take over the operating management of STJS until we set forth a permanent solution for the society.

We have asked Scott Kaufman to serve as Marketing Director, a new position, and he has agreed. Scott has been a valuable board member for several years and maintains our Jubilee website. He is the owner of Midtown Stomp and is very involved in the swing dance world. Scott also chairs our new club marketing committee, which is moving forward on promoting all of our club activities such as Jazz Sunday, the Jazz Camps, Concerts in the Park, the Crab Feed and other events. He has great people on his committee and great ideas for promoting the festival and STJS.

John Cocuzzi, our vice president, has agreed to serve in the (as yet unofficial) position of Artistic Director. He will pick up the duties related to artist relations, including contracts. John is an internationally respected jazz artist and brings a wealth of national and international jazz festival experience to our society. He currently serves on the Jubilee Talent Committee and the Jubilee Management Committee, and knows just about everyone in the business.

Tom Duff is the new chair of the Jubilee Management Committee. Tom has been a dedicated volunteer for more than 25 years. Tom has managed our transportation activities for many years and is responsible for the festival buses being reliable. He is an employee of H-P and has been instrumental in the donation of several computers to STJS over the years. He is currently working closely with the Mayor’s Office in connection with the City’s support of the arts, including our festival.

Linda Cousins, who has done such a great job of managing our bars and food vendors, has stepped down as chairperson, but continues on the management committee. Linda really answered the call at the 2009 Jubilee and produced more income for the event with fewer bars than the previous year.

Dennis Curry, our long time sound guru and newly inducted Hall of Fame Volunteer, continues to serve on our management committee. Dennis arranged sponsorship for four local blues bands at the festival this year and organized a special all-day blues event at Turntable Junction that provided support for the Homeless Connect organization. Mayor Kevin Johnson attended that event, made encouraging comments about our organization, and pledged to support our jazz festival.

Finally, we have engaged Greg Willett to handle Sponsor Relations for the club. Greg has been associated with the club and the festival for many years, and is a member of the Public Relations Committee. His background is in television marketing, and he brings a wealth of experience and capability to our society. This is a very important position. Our sponsorship revenues dropped significantly with the onset of the recession, and we must get these revenues back up to be successful over the long-term.

The STJS Office and the Dante Club have been vibrating with positive energy. August Jazz Sunday had a great turnout. For the past forty years, we have been the “can-do” jazz society; we have survived all those years and still offer a fresh, vibrant jazz festival that is world renowned. And we still serve our members well. Now we need to make the big turn and bring up our festival attendance, our membership and our Jazz Sunday attendance.

Speaking of positive energy, the jazz camps for our young musicians and our older young musicians are over for another year, and what a success the camps were. Jill Harper, my wife Yvonne and I made it up to the dress rehearsal for the youth camp concert (grandkids in tow), and we were blown away by the talent and the performances. My wife and I attended the Adult Jazz Camp Concert last Saturday night, and what a wonderful evening that was. In case you don’t know, tickets are sold for the adult camp concert, and all of the proceeds go to support Sly Park. We are grateful to the people who make camp happen every year, including the wonderful jazz faculty, all the volunteers, Camp Director Bill Dendle and Facilities Manager Bill Evans, and the STJS Foundation, which provides scholarships and financial support.

Jim's message from the August 2009
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Congratulations to Bob and Adele Ringwald who just became grandparents to new twins.  Congrats also to Molly and Panio since they are the main cast members here.  In addition to her acting duties, Molly is singing a lot lately and has her own band in the Southland.  She was featured at several Jubilees over the years and is much loved by our members and fans.

The July Jazz Sunday Parade of Bands was great fun.  I was fortunate to play drums with Charlies’ Devils (yes…two of them…Charlies’zzzz?), co-led by Charlie Gelbach and Charlie Hull in the first set in the Gold Card Room.  Sugar Willie stood up and sang Ace in the Hole and John Wilder put on a banjo extravaganza with the Alabama Jubilee.  Jay Paulus and Scotty Harper rounded out the group.

Other groups in the gold card room included The Vivian Lee Sextet (Vivian was fabulous as usual), the Jay Paulus Society Band (a fairly new band that swings like crazy), the Porcupine Ragtime Ensemble and Bua’s Boys (and Girls) featuring everybody’s favorite pussycat, Bill Bua, along with Bob Ringwald, Alan Ginter and Barry Eldridge backing four of our fine Gold Card singers, Wally Hawkins, Harry Duvall (of Four Lads fame), Christine Rowe and Paula Dula.

Sister Swing was very swinging on the main stage…great band including Otis Mourning, Steve Wall, Mickey Bennett and Ron Jones.  Other groups on the main stage included the Rio Americano HS Trad Band, The Beth Duncan Quintet with Festival All Star Steve Homan on guitar, Renard’s Renegades featuring most of the bad boys in the Jazz Society (Reynard Perry, Bob Ringwald, Dutch Deutsch, Gary Reynolds, Tom Lopes, Ralph Thompson and Joey “bat-a-boom” Ventittelli).  The Au Brothers, Brandon and Justin, finished the day on the main stage, featuring, as always, a great group of young musicians including Pete Aagran, Nahum Zdybel, Matt Robinson, Dinos San Pedro and Polly Edgerton.

Here is a problem I never thought I would be writing about…we are not drinking enough!  Last year we started paying rent to the Dante Club.  In the past, the bar revenues supported the activity for the Dante Club and we didn’t have to pay rent.  Now, with attendance down and the economy in the dumper, the bar revenues have really dropped off for the Dante Club.  We have already lost the food service because we did not patronize the buffet enough.  We have to do a better job of feeding the kitty or I am afraid that next year the rent is going to go up a lot.  Please don’t tell the betta half that I told you to drink more.  However, if you have a few extra bucks, spending it at the bar of the Dante Club will help our jazz society.  Please don’t bring your own from home.  The Dante Club supports us and we need to support them back.

Did I mention our attendance has been dropping?  All of you who aren’t coming to Jazz Sunday need to remember how much fun it is and come join us again.  Nobody likes the cost, but it is about the cost of a movie and you get a full day’s worth of great jazz music.  We wish we could do it for free, but we can’t.  So come on out and support great jazz…we will leave a light on for you.  We also need the Gold Card musicians out in force to support our music at Second Sunday Jazz.  Making music with your friends is great fun…why aren’t you here?

Jazz Camp is getting ready to start, and we are grateful to the people who make it happen, including Camp Director Bill Dendle and Facilities Manager Bill Evans.  If you haven’t been there, it is a well oiled machine.  The Professors (faculty) are amazing...it’s a who’s who of traditional jazz and swing professionals.  If you get a chance, please turn out for the youth camp concert at the Dante Club in August, or visit Sly Park for the adult concert…you can breathe some clean air and hear some great jazz. 

All the busy beavers are already getting ready for the 37th annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.  Planning is underway by several key committees.  If you were wondering if we could ever match the Basie Concert, hold onto your hats.  Gene Berthelsen is negotiating the talent for the Thursday night concert, and it is going to be great. 

Plan now on attending the 37th Jazz Festival…Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the July 2009
"And All That Jazz" (STJS monthly newsletter)

Good one!
Congratulations to our musicians, volunteers and staff for a successful Jubilee/JazzFest. Many comments have been received that this was one of the very best jazz festivals ever and that it reminded folks of the old days. Spirits seemed very high and the venues were pretty full all of the time. It is too early to talk about numbers, but it appears our revenues were just a hair below budget and the 2008 level, and, considering the lousy state of the economy, we are pleased with that. We cut our costs significantly, and that should serve us well as we wrap up the numbers and prepare for the future. Many festivals are being cancelled this year, or are folding their tents, so this successful festival was no small achievement by all the people involved.

The Count Basie Orchestra concert was a wall-to-wall sellout and the band was wonderful. The concert was broadcast live by Capital Public Radio and streamed live on their website. I want to give credit to Vince Bartels for the original idea of presenting the Basie concert and to Jill Harper and the talent selection committee for the ideas of putting it on Thursday night and giving really good prices to young musicians, members, volunteers and Jubilee musicians. We had a boatload of young musicians at the concert, and that is part of our mission.

Upward and onward…as we are trying to wrap up the details of the 2009 festival, we are already formulating ideas for next year. Last Saturday we held a board retreat attended for part of the day by staff and volunteers, and many good ideas came out of this get-together. All of you are invited to let us know how to improve the festival and the jazz society. Please write to us or catch board members, staff and volunteers at Jazz Sunday, and give us your thoughts as to how we can make things better.

As I watched Jake Hanna at the JazzFest, I enjoyed going over in my mind what a wonderful generous person Jake is. Here is a true story that I often tell people but have never written about. In the spring of 1963, I was a senior at Sparks High School near Reno. Jake was with the Woody Herman Orchestra appearing at Harrah’s Club in Reno, and I was downtown every night digging Jake and the band. I started having coffee with Jake and enjoying his willingness to spend time talking with a young drummer. One night I mentioned how cool it would be to have the Woody Herman Orchestra play for my high school graduation party at the Hidden Valley Country Club (how stupid is that?). Believe it or not, Jake made it happen. Jake talked to Woody, who talked to Bill Harrah, and Harrah’s Club put the band on a bus and sent them over to play two sets at my graduation party…for free. Bill Harrah was always trying to do things for young people in Reno. Well…that evening is still talked about by my classmates 40 years later. Thirty years later in Hilton Head Island South Carolina, I asked Jake if he remembered the event. He said, “I remember we did something for the kids”. That’s Jake.

I’ll see you at next year’s festival…our 37th…it will be the best one ever

Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the
June 2009 "And All That Jazz"

Here we GO!
It is May 19th…I am playing drums tomorrow with Dr. Bach at a promotional concert downtown…the Basie concert is in two days…and the Sacramento JazzFest/Jazz Jubilee…starts in three days.  By the time you read this, we will know how it all turned out. But right now I have my fingers crossed and am hoping and praying for the best.  I want…no rain…no swine flu scare…a break in the recession…and boatloads of music and party lovers.  

Our volunteers are so upbeat and full of energy that we cannot do anything but succeed…I have never seen so many optimistic and energetic people in one place as I saw at the Jubilee managers’ meeting a couple of weeks ago. Congrats to Gene and Vivian and all our volunteer leaders. There are so many volunteers that work so hard to pull this festival off.  I wrote last month about what a great job the talent selection committee did for this festival.  Artistically, this is one of the best Jubilees ever. 

The Basie concert is about 70% sold as I write this and we hope the last two days orders and the door sales will fill the hall.  Our Hall of Fame volunteers deserve a full house at this event in their honor. There will be a lot (bunch??? herd???) of young musicians at the concert and that is a bulls eye with respect to our mission. I know from personal experience that these young people will never ever forget the concert where they were privileged to hear the legendary Count Basie Orchestra. 

The Jubilee pre-sales don’t tell us a lot.  We are behind last year in the main pre-sales category, but ahead in group sales.  We have some new groups this year, like the City and County employees, the Rotary Clubs and the Mid-town Stomp members and friends.  We really need a great daily turnout this year. All the meteorologists (weather people) say we are going to have fabulous weather…that is one key to our success. 

Thanks to everyone for everything!!
Remember to vote in the June election.
I hope you had the time of your life at the 2009 JazzFest.
Here’s to next year’s festival…our 37th…it will be the best one ever.

Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the
May 2009 "And All That Jazz"

Here we are about to present our 36th annual Jubilee. I can’t help but think of last summer when things looked mighty grim financially. We asked you all to help out and you did...and we got through the dog days. But not without the help of our staff who made personal sacrifices so that we could keep on keeping on. We are not out of the woods yet...it will take a really successful Jazz Festival to make that happen...but good things keep happening because of all of the super people who make up our organization and their resourcefulness.

One final pitch before the festival...please plan to attend and urge your friends to come along. Also, please join us at the Count Basie concert and honor our Hall of Fame volunteers. These folk have served us all well for so many years and they deserve our tribute...and what could be better than an evening of music and dancing with your long-time friends?

It is going to be a wonderful festival, with lots of something for everyone. We are presenting the best Trad and Swing bands in the country for those who really dig it, plus great Blues...Zydeco...Mainstream jazz...Latin jazz...Western Swing...even Gospel, Gypsy, patriotic music and choral music. We have a boatload of jazz legends in our group of featured performers. The dancers are going to swing their tails off and the big band fans will hear the very best with the Count Basie Orchestra. We are even having two evenings of dancing to a terrific rock band for our younger fans. I promise you that we will give you the best four days of music you could imagine. We have our fabulous Jubilee Talent Committee to thank for all this. Please take time to thank the members of that committee for their excellent work. They are Jill Harper, Vivien Lee, Vivian Abraham, Scott Kaufman, Ray Copeland, Vince Bartels, John Cocuzzi, Bob Ringwald, Bob Williams and Gene Berthelsen.

Remember to vote in the June election. Please...if you would like to serve on one of our committees, let me or our staff or another board member know. We can’t read minds and it is not practical for us to phone 2,600 members to ask each one which committees they would like to serve on, if any. Step right up and get in the middle of things. We need your enthusiastic help.

See you at the 36th Annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee...Jazz Fest...Jazz Festival! Why would you want to be anywhere else?

Jim's message from the
April 2009 "And All That Jazz"

It’s not your father’s Jazz Jubilee…really!

Each year, we have been making the festival more and more relevant to a broad spectrum of music fans. This year we are presenting the greatest change ever. Many of you have noticed that we have augmented our festival’s name to include “Sacramento Jazz Festival” in the title, along with retaining “Jubilee” to continue the link to our traditional jazz roots.

By now you know we are presenting the world famous Count Basie Orchestra on Thursday night, May 21, before the Festival officially opens. This is the event at which we honor our Hall of Fame Volunteers. This legendary musical organization is the most important jazz group we have ever presented at the Festival, and you really don’t want to miss it. We have made special pricing available to our members and volunteers and to young music students in Northern California.

We have more blues bands than ever before and some really special blues events. We are featuring the best among the people on the Sacramento Blues scene, including Mick Martin’s Blues Rockers, Jimmy Pailer, Rene Solis, Linda Bracamonte, Aaron King, and many more.

We have a record number of Zydeco bands lined up this year led by perennial favorite Tom Rigney and Flambeau, and also featuring the Zydeco Flames, Gator Beat, Bayou Boys, Mumbo Gumbo and the Blues Box Bayou Band.

For the first time and for our younger Rock fans of all ages, we are presenting Aftershock in a late night concert and dance at the Firehouse Lot. This is really not your father’s Jubilee!

For our Traditional Jazz and Swing fans, we have lined up some of the best bands in the country including Bill Allred’s Classic Jazz Band, Allen Vache’s Benny Goodman Tribute, Cornet Chop Suey, Big Tiny Little, Blue Street Jazz Band, Fulton Street Jazz Band, Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, Sister Swing, Billy Mata and Texas Tradition, Golden Gate Rhythm Machine, BED, Igor’s Jazz Cowboys and many other favorites.

Finally, as always, we are featuring our fabulous All Stars, including Rebecca Kilgore, Brady McKay, Terrie Richards Alden (vocals), Warren Vache, Bria Skonberg (trumpet), Harry Allen (tenor sax), Bill Allred, John Allred, Dan Barrett, Bob Havens, Russ Phillips, (trombone), John Cocuzzi (vibes), Howard Alden, Steve Homan (guitar), Eddie Higgins, Johnny Varro (piano), Joel Forbes, Jennifer Leitham, Richard Simon (bass), Vince Bartels, Jake Hanna, Eddie Metz, Jr. (drums), Bill Dendle, Eddie Erickson (banjo), Bob Draga and Alan Vache (clarinet). What a lineup!

This is probably my final pitch for money…perhaps…no promises…before the Jubilee. Please buy your Jubilee badges and Count Basie tickets right now. Go to the phone and do it. With the economy in such terrible shape, our loyal sponsors are still supporting us, but have cut back their levels of support out of necessity. We need every single person who loves good music to attend our festival this year. The economy will come back and we want to be here presenting great music to our fans as we have done for the past 35 years. With the fabulous lineup of music we have in store, why would you want to be anywhere else on Memorial Day weekend? The price is right and the weather is going to be beautiful this year.

Second Sunday is April 5…another early one because we don’t do Jazz Sunday on Easter Sunday…and our guest artist is Los Angeles pianist Robbie Rhodes…our kind of music. Come see your friends and have a dance or two... see you there.

Jim's message from the
March 2009 "And All That Jazz"

For those of you who did not receive the newsletter well in advance of Second Sunday Jazz in February, we sincerely apologize. Second Sunday was February 8th, which is as early as Second Sunday can be... so the deadlines were tight to begin with. Certain information can’t be obtained until after the previous First Sunday Jazz. There were problems in the jazz office and at the printer that delayed the mailing just enough to cause a delivery problem. Tina Lee has moved deadlines for articles up so that we can be assured of timely delivery in the future.

We have two changes on the board of Directors.  John Cocuzzi is our new Vice President, replacing Molly Greene who has resigned to pay more attention to work and studies.  Thanks to Molly for her years of dedicated service to the Society... Molly will continue her work with our youth bands.  Shelly Burns has joined the board to fill John’s position as a musician board member.

We have enjoyed a nice run of successful events over the past month.

The Rent Party was great, as I mentioned in my last column, and that event really helped us financially.

Then came the Crab Feed, and that event was beautifully done by Paula Vance and her dedicated crew of volunteers. Catfish and the Crawdaddies did a terrific job and kept the crowd dancing, and the event made money for our jazz society. That is not a small accomplishment in these times. Our crowd was much smaller than in the previous two years, but the event was so well managed that it was a financial success... and it was a barrel of fun. Thanks to everyone who contributed treasures for the auction.

Then, one week later, came the Traditional Jazz Youth Band Festival... best ever... most bands ever... unbelievable group of clinicians... and fabulous performances by youth bands and alumni of youth bands. Yvonne Au and all her many volunteers deserve our thanks for the contribution they make in helping us fulfill our mission of promoting traditional jazz music and educating musicians and music lovers of all ages. Thanks and congratulations also to the adults who mentor our fine young musicians.

Finally, last Sunday, came Second Sunday Jazz, and our featured performers were Youth Festival clinicians Westy Westenhofer, Bob Draga and Fast Eddie Erickson. Everyone was well entertained by these musical lunatics who will now be incarcerated until Jubilee and our summer jazz camps, when they will be temporarily released to grace our jazz programs once again.

Every time I show up for one of our events...and I make most of them... I see the same faces. These faces are attached to bodies that are working like crazy, setting up for the event, working through the event and tearing down and putting away after the event

They get there really early and go home really late. These folks are so dedicated and they really play a major role in everything we do to fulfill our mission. They are the members of our sound crew, and they are so professional they blow my mind. I even see them at jazz festivals other than our own, helping make those jazz events successful.

Many moons ago, when our society decided to invest in our own sound equipment and use in-house technicians, Bill Bachman asked Dolores Smith to put a sound crew together. Dolores, Rich Himebauch and Norm Echols were part of that original crew and are still on the job. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the sound crew, so please take time say thanks next time you see them. Here they are... Jim Carmen, Barb Cole, Luis Colorado, Norm Echols, Judy Hendricks, Richard Himebauch, Bob Himebauch, Ross Himebauch, Mark Kramer, Frank Melendes, Gene Mondro, Rich Olsen, Crawford Paton, Dixie Phifer, Olivia Sanchez, Darleen Shepler, Dolores Smith, Dan Tompkins and Gib Wright. Some of these folks are musicians who take time away from the sound equipment to play music at Second Sunday... multi-taskers!

Second Sunday is March 8... another early one... and our guest artist is New Orleans clarinetist Tim Laughlin. You won’t want to miss it. See you there.

Jim's message from the
February 2009 "And All That Jazz"

A million thanks from our jazz society!!! Our members and friends came through again. December was a good month for Jubilee badge sales and Count Basie concert ticket sales. In fact, ticket sales for tables at the Basie concert are going so well that we are adding more tables than originally planned so we can accommodate those who prefer table seating. If you would like to reserve a table, please call the STJS office and speak with Vivian, but do it soon so you won’t be left out. The December TV appearance of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra with Tony Bennett at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Spectacular created even more interest in our May 21st concert.

Lots to talk about. Our own Vivian Abraham has been named an honorary Guardian Angel, complete with a cool beret. Vivian was instrumental in getting the Guardian Angels involved in our festival activities. How ‘bout them apples...congratulations Vivian.

Just got home from the rent party...huge success as usual, thanks to all the great bands who contributed their music and all the fans who showed up and enjoyed the day. Lot’s of young musicians, and that was fun. Good turnout...it really helps our finances, which is the whole point of a rent party. Big thanks to everyone who made this day a winner, and especially to Bob Ringwald who arranges for all our great Jazz Sunday music month-in-and-month-out. The contributing big person bands were Black Tuesday, Dr. Bach, Catsnjammer, Cell Block 7, Creole Jazz Kings, Mardi Gras, Fulton Street, Avalon, Raspberry Jam Band and the Speakeazy Jazz Orchestra...all great and they all did it for free to help the jazz society. The great youth bands were TNT, Syncopating Sea-Monkeys, Razin’ the Bar, and the Joseph Kerr Middle School Jazz Band.

By the time you read this in the newsletter, the 2009 crab feed will be another great moment in history. We skip the January newsletter, so the full page ad in the December newsletter was our last chance to get you all worked up about this event. For those who attended, thank you for supporting the jazz society through this fun event. Special thanks to Catfish and the Crawdaddies for the music...and for Paula and all her fabulous volunteers...great job...again.

And last but not least...please get up off that couch or chair and get yourself to the Trad Jazz Youth Band Festival at Sacramento State on Saturday February 7 from 8AM to 5PM, and the all star concert and awards ceremony at 7PM. It is a wonderful event that is so important for our educational mission. And talk about all-stars...The clinicians are Bob Draga...Eddie Erickson...Westy Westinhofer... Ron Jones...Mike Vax...Melissa Collard...Bill Dendle...Jason Wanner...David Robinson...Lenny Pollacchi... Mike McMullen and Doug Pauly. It is the best $10 you will ever spend. Don’t forget the jam session with the young musicians and the all-stars on Friday night, February 6... see the TJYBF website for details. Thanks to all the volunteers, and particularly Yvonne Au for the great job she does bringing it all together.

In February...Bob Draga, Fast Eddie Erickson and Westy Westinhofer at Jazz Sunday... see you all there!

Jim's message from the
December 2008/January 2009 "And All That Jazz"

The new Tony Bennett album with the Count Basie Orchestra has been released and it is terrific. It’s called "A Swingin’ Christmas" and it will light up your Holidays. Amazon has it for a really good price. Our Jubilee kickoff concert on May 21, 2009 features the Basie Band and is one concert you won’t want to miss.

I have been thinking about the subject of friendship lately.

When Eve and I returned to California five years ago, one of the very first things we did was to get involved with the jazz society. My sister and brother-in-law are long time STJS volunteers and knew the ropes, so it was easy. We arrived in California in November, went to the December STJS meeting, where Jack Scott, my friend from band camp, crossed his name off the list in the Tailgate Room so that I could sit in (now there is a friend) and I auditioned for and received my gold card the following February. Why were we so anxious to join the jazz society? First, I had made friends at Adult Jazz Camp and knew these were people I wanted to associate with. Also, everywhere Eve and I have been, musicians and music people became our friends, and we still cherish those friendships. I knew that the jazz society would be the place to make friends and have barrels of fun.

There is just something about music people. Dr. Sam Atkinson was an old friend of mine in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. You could find Sam and his wife Marge at every jam session on the island. He was in his 80’s and still played fine tenor sax. He was a retired dermatologist and had practiced medicine most of his life in New York City, a circumstance that led him to become friends with many jazz legends, including Mary Lou Williams, who used to play piano for his cocktail parties. A few weeks before he died, I was visiting Sam in the hospital, and he was discoursing on his philosophy of life. He told me that when he met Marge sixty or so years earlier, he told her "if you’re going to hang out with me, you better get used to these jazz clubs". He also told me something that I know he didn’t really mean down deep (he had too many friends for that)…he said "you know the only people I ever liked were musicians". I think Sam liked lots of people, but he liked music people best.

The thing I love most about Jazz Sunday is seeing old friends and new friends and watching those friends hook up with their other old friends and new friends.

Here I am writing about money again. You, our members and friends, brought us through some very dark days and here we are preparing for the 2009 Jazz Jubilee. Gene Berthelsen, his fine staff and our great volunteers are doing a fabulous job and Jubilee 2009 will be one of the best ever. However, we are getting off to a slower start than last year with respect to our admission badge pre-sales and Booster contributions. We need you fine folks to purchase your badges and send in your Booster contributions now rather than later. There are plenty of reasons to do this…the tickets are much cheaper (last year’s prices) if purchased before December 31, 2008 plus there is the chance to win the big Jubilee weekend stay at the Holiday Inn. Most importantly, it will help our jazz society tremendously by boosting our operating cash and giving us somewhat of a read on what to expect in the way of badge and ticket sales. This is not the time to be wishy–washy about our jazz festival. We all need to commit to attend the Jubilee in 2009 so that we can preserve this great event. We hope to see you there for all of our events including the Count Basie concert on Thursday, May 21, 2009.

One other thing…I heard on CNN that listening to music you enjoy expands your blood vessels and is good for your heart…honest…from Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s lips. So come on down to the Dante Club, see your old friends and expand those blood vessels.

See you at Jazz Sunday!

Jim's message from the
November 2008 "And All That Jazz"

This not–so–modern drummer was reading Modern Drummer magazine a couple of years ago and came across an interview with Jake Hanna, one of my very favorite drummers and, of course, one of our STJS Jazz Emperors. The interviewer asked Jake "who should a young person, who wants to learn to play swing music, listen to?" "Count Basie" was Jake’s answer. The interviewer asked "who else?" Jake’s answer? "Count Basie!!"

When I was in high school, playing in a dance band and starting to listen to jazz music, the band that completely floored me was the Count Basie Orchestra. I had a 45 RPM Roulette label record of the Basie Band playing tunes I can’t remember now, and I just about wore it out. The drummer on that record was simply stupefying… I never knew who it was, but it was probably Jo Jones or Sonny Payne. I couldn’t get enough of that great music and was lucky enough to play some Basie tunes in the University of Nevada Jazz Band for a while before leaving school and going on the road.

Count Basie formed his band in 1936. The band grew out of the great Benny Moten Band. In the late 50’s and early 60’s the band became the thoroughly modern big band that it is today. First there was the "April in Paris" album…and who doesn’t have that tune in their head every time they think big band? Then the great album "This Time by Basie" on Frank Sinatra’s label Reprise, and then "First Time – the Count Meets the Duke" with both the Basie Band and the Great Duke Ellington Orchestra playing together. Neil Hefti, who just passed in October of this year, was one of the Basie Band’s fabulous arrangers in the fifties and sixties, along with Ernie Wilkins and Quincy Jones.

Do you remember that great scene in Blazing Saddles when Count Basie is leading his band in the middle of the desert playing April in Paris? Have you enjoyed the many albums the band made with Joe Williams, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur, Manhattan Transfer and other great singers?

The Count Basie Orchestra received 17 Grammies and won every major jazz poll over the years, including the Downbeat Readers’ Poll 12 times. They played royal command performances, presidential inaugurations, and many other special appearances. The band was featured with Frank Sinatra on the sound track for the Movie "Wall Street". Count Basie passed away in 1984, but the band roars on and just completed a new album with Tony Bennett, soon to be released.

So why am I telling you all this? I made you wait until the very end.

BECAUSE…THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA IS COMING TO JUBILEE IN 2009!

On Thursday evening, May 21, at the Radisson, the Count Basie Band headlines our kickoff concert and plays for both the concert crowd and the swing dancers. You can’t miss this unforgettable evening! This is where we will honor our Hall of Fame volunteers and we will have great discounted prices for members, volunteers, Jubilee badge holders, Jubilee musicians and students. The Count Basie Orchestra is based in New York and hasn’t played Sacramento in recent years, so this is a rare opportunity to experience the ultimate in big band jazz.

Have a great month, and come join the fun on Jazz Sunday at the Dante Club. We always have great guest artists, lively concerts/jam sessions and good vittles for a nice price.

Jim's message from the
OCTOBER 2008 "And All That Jazz"

I want to again express my gratitude, and that of the board and our staff, to all of you who have participated in our Campaign 36 fundraiser and sent in your $36 or other contribution. As of this writing, we have received more than $38,000 from our members and friends, and that money has been a blessing to our Society. It has been great to see our jazz warriors rise up and roar in unison with their checkbooks to support our mission. Thank you all! I would love to say “mission accomplished,” but we are not out of the woods yet, so if you have not made your contribution, please send it in now. I would also like to urge all of our Boosters to send your contributions in early this year. We need the money now more than later. But…enough about money!

Planning for the 2009 Jubilee is in full stride. Nearly all of the bands are set, and it is going to be a hot, swinging, jumpin’, bluesy, country, Cajun and rockin’ (yes…I said “rockin’”) four-day party. We will have the best jazz bands in the country to make us all crazy for the music, plus more Zydeco and blues bands than ever. Our young fans are going to rock the nights away, and we have a fabulous lineup of all-stars coming to the party. So, be sure to book your tickets early and take advantage of the early-bird discounts, and get in the hunt for the fabulous early-bird grand prize. All the details will be sent out shortly.

Last month, I wrote to you about our young campers and counselors and instructors. Summer is over, and many of them are back in school and/or out performing at jazz festivals. We can never get enough of their energy, their positive outlook and their fabulous music. But…enough about young people!

I am equally impressed and encouraged by our older young people…maybe even more so. Our older fans—dancers and musicians—have me convinced that jazz music is the fountain of youth. If you have been around this society for all of its forty years, perhaps you are not fooled by the seventy- and eighty-years-plus crowd that has me convinced they are all much younger. I am continually amazed when I learn the ages of some of the people I am making music with, or those fans listening and/or cutting a rug. Bob Williams wrote recently that “music makes you live longer,” and I absolutely believe it. When it comes to jazz lovers, age really is just a number.

On a chilly night last fall, rehearsal was over at 9:00pm for our local big band, and I was standing in the parking lot with our 94-year-old baritone sax player, Don Bryant, along with his wife, and a young trombone player. We were waiting for the trombone player’s dad to arrive, because the young man was not yet old enough to drive. I thought at that time about the amazing age span in our band, and how Don Bryant, at 94, is really someone to behold. He plays the biggest horn in the band and plays it well. He is a terrific arranger, and he and his wife almost never miss a rehearsal or performance of the big band or our local concert band. He would rather be out playing jazz music on a Wednesday night than doing anything else. Whether we are young or not-quite-so young, jazz music is something we seem to be able to agree on.

Have a great month, and come join the fun for kids of all ages on "Jazz Sunday" at the Dante Club.

Jim's message from the
SEPTEMBER 2008 "And All That Jazz"

My first month as your president has come to an end, and it has been a busy one. We have been meeting with downtown business people, organizing committees, working on budgets, planning venues and bands for the next Jubilee, and visiting the jazz camp at Sly Park. We have also been working with STJS staff and volunteers, trying to figure out how to keep our head above water. I say "we" because I have a lot of help.

This is a team effort, and our directors and volunteers, as well as our fine staff, are all burning the midnight oil to make us more successful. Jill Harper and Gene Berthelsen have been particularly helpful in the strategic planning area. The Jubilee Management Committee and Talent Selection Committee are already "hard at it" planning next year’s Jubilee. And what can I say about Felix Smith and Len Strickland: Felix just had surgery and is at home recovering. He has already taken the time to write and let us know that he is onboard to chair the STJS Membership Committee, with which he has done such a fabulous job in the past. Len recently underwent a heart transplant but has agreed to continue to serve our society as a board member and member of the Jubilee Planning Committee. Get well soon, gents!

Our fundraising campaign has started, and the first checks started rolling in this week. Thanks for your generosity and for caring about the jazz society. If you haven’t mailed your check yet, please do it. We don’t ask very often, but we really need your help right now, and any contribution you can afford will help ensure that we put on a great Jubilee in 2009.

Our youth Jazz Camp is finished for another year, and adult Jazz Camp is underway as I am writing this message. Jill Harper and I visited the youth camp last week to visit with our managers, instructors, counselors and the student campers. What an evening! The Professors are a major musical force, and they were swinging their tails off, as usual. The commitment of these world class professional musicians to our students, year-after-year, is really special.

A highlight of the evening was the performance by the counselors’ band. These young ladies and gentlemen are all fine musicians and great role models. As great as the counselors played, their dancing (accompanied by Pete Agraan’s drum breaks) was truly unforgettable—and I mean that in a good way. The icing on the cake was listening to the student bands. It is so much fun when you can hear them early in the week and then again at the end of the week—you'll be astonished at their musical progress. This time, we only heard them once (near the end of the week), and we were impressed. Immortality was achieved when one band played a fun tune with lyrics based on the name of our one-and-only guitar wizard counselor, Nahum Zdybel.

Have a great month, and don’t miss Jazz Sunday, whatever you do.

Jim's message from the
AUGUST 2008 "And All That Jazz"

Let me start my term as president by thanking Bob Williams for all of his good work as president over the past two years. He has graciously agreed to continue his work on behalf of the Society, just as our other past presidents have. Like all of our volunteers, these folks make our world go ‘round. It seems that everywhere I go, I run into Jubilee volunteers, including at my high school reunion in Sparks, Nevada two weeks ago. Turns out a friend I haven’t seen for many years is a Jubilee volunteer, along with her husband. The enthusiasm and energy of our volunteers is awe inspiring, and we are all grateful for them.

Bob’s last column in AATJ described who we are and what our music is about as beautifully as I have ever read. Here is a repeat of just one quote: "This music is happy and good…it is art…it gives us a chance to laugh and forget our problems for a little while, and lastly… it helps us make friends and live longer.” My first thought was that I wish we could bottle it and sell it. Then I remembered that we do bottle it and sell it at Jubilee each year and at the Dante Club every month. All of you who love traditional jazz music know the truth of what Bob wrote and know the value of preserving and perpetuating this great American art form.

The 2008 Jubilee was an artistic success, thanks to Gene Berthelsen and our staff, our sponsors, and the more than 2,500 volunteers who came together to put on the show. The increased focus on the blues and swing bands went over well, and like always, our musicians and volunteers were fabulous, and the public loved the Jubilee.

Unfortunately, it rained at Jubilee on Saturday morning, and when I looked out the window and saw the rain coming down, my heart sank. Many people make the decision to attend the Jubilee by looking out the window on Saturday morning, and we saw a big impact from that little sprinkle. We try to mitigate against such things by pre-selling badges, but the rain hurt us, and the Jubilee was not as successful financially as we had hoped. So, we need your help as we prepare for a successful 2009 Jubilee.

What does it all mean? Well, first of all, we are alive and swinging our tails off every month at the Dante Club. We will put on the Jubilee next year, and it will be great. We will do a few things differently, and I believe it will also be a financial success. But the next several months will be difficult from a cash flow standpoint. We are going to cut back to the bone on the cost side. You are going to see some fundraising activity on our part, and I hope you will joyously participate. It has been medically proven that one can smile and write a check at the same time. So I urge you all to find a way to financially support our society over the next several months. If you can write a check to the Friends of STJS for a few bucks or a hundred bucks or a few hundred bucks, it will be a worthy investment and will be appreciated (and tax deductible). If you can’t write an extra check, please come to the Dante Club and show your support by enjoying the music. Our musicians love to play to an appreciative audience more than anything.

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