KUUMBWA JAZZ SOCIETY
320-2 Cedar St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 www.kuumbwajazz.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: To provide opportunities in the Santa Cruz area and to enjoy and appreciate the full spectrum of jazz music through live performance and education. We present extraordinary regional, national and international musicians and provide educational programs for all ages.

Kuumbwa Jazz's mission is to provide opportunities for residents and visitors in Santa Cruz County to enjoy and appreciate the full spectrum of jazz through live performance and education. We present extraordinary regional, national and international musicians and provide educational programs for people of all ages. Kuumbwa Jazz (KJ) in downtown Santa Cruz is heralded as one of the "Great Jazz Venues in the World" (DownBeat Magazine). For over 40 years, KJ has brought the community into the creative presence of internationally acclaimed jazz artists. A short list of performers over the years includes: Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Diana Krall and Eddie Palmieri. Representing the current exciting generation of world-class musicians dedicated to artistic excellence, Gerald Clayton, Esperanza Spalding, Ambrose Akinmusire, Anat Cohen, Linda Oh, Remy and Pascal LeBoeuf and Joey Alexander have also performed on our stage to enthralled audiences. Presenting nearly 130 concerts a year, in addition to concerts in our 200-seat KJ Center, we also hold concerts in larger venues, allowing us to increase and diversify our audiences while generating revenue. KJ is committed to responsible stewardship and providing a respectful environment that supports artists as well as staff, volunteers, patrons and contributors.

Through our comprehensive year round jazz education programs, we foster creative expression of the next generation of jazz artists and aficionados in the following jazz education programs: Kuumbwa Honor Jazz Band, an all-star group of high school musicians who rehearse weekly and perform professional engagements and community events during the school year; Annual Summer Jazz Camp offered to 8th - 12th grade students, held at the Cabrillo College campus where enrolled students receive both group and individual instruction with a focus on improvisation, basic theory and concepts with scholarships guaranteed to students in need; Artists in the Schools programs, is a direct service program bringing accomplished jazz artists and educators into Santa Cruz County school and classrooms teaching music students of all ages, and introducing them to jazz music and the elements of improvisation; Master Class Series, features renowned professional musicians who present hands-on workshops for musicians and enthusiasts of all levels; Discover Jazz is a friendly family introduction to jazz education program for all ages; The Kuumbwa Jazz Educator-in-Residence position is a prominent jazz artist/educator who works year-round for a two-year period with classroom teachers and student musicians that participate in Kuumbwa's education programs.

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