Folsom Jazz FestivalFolsom Jazz FestivalThe 1999 Festival kicked off with a sold-out concert on Friday, 29 January, featuring Maynard Ferguson. Preliminary and final competitions were held on the 30th in five venues. Monterey High School was awarded Sweepstakes for high school bands, Folsom Middle School for middle school bands, and St. Helena High School for jazz choirs. Division winners were: Davis High (AAAA high school jazz band), Rio Americano High AM (AAA), Monterey High (AA), Aragon High (A), and Kelseyville High (B); Folsom Middle School (middle school jazz band); St. Helena High (D high school jazz choir), Kelseyville High (E high school jazz choir), and Monterey High (combo). A complete list of awards is available.
Monterey High School Jazz Band
The 1998 festival was held on 24 January 1998, with 76 scheduled performances in four venues!
The Folsom Jazz Festival was kicked off by a concert on Friday night. The Jazz Band and Jazz Choir opened for the renowned Woody Herman Orchestra, led by Frank Tiberi and featuring John Fedchock. In their first Northern California appearance in fifteen years, the Woody Herman Orchestra played a variety of old standards and new charts for an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.
Saturday was a pleasant, sunny day, as high school and middle school jazz bands and high school jazz bands and jazz choirs have performed throughout Folsom. High School Jazz Band sweepstakes winner was Rio Americano High School. Novato High School took sweepstakes honors for Jazz Choir. The top Middle School in the competition was Arden. Rio Americano High School came in first in the new Combo competition. See the complete award listing.
Novato's jazz choir - Preliminaries
Novato's jazz choir - Finals
Arden Middle School jazz band
Arden soloist
Rio Americano's sweepstakes winning performance
Rio Americano soloist
(photo by Tony Kipp-Galatti)
(We have no photo of the Rio Americano combo; we're happy to post one if we can get one.)
Clinic following the Monte Vista combo's performance
Checking the results
Every January, the Folsom Music Boosters sponsor a competitive jazz festival for jazz bands and jazz choirs. Last year's event took place on Saturday, 25 January 1997, with preliminary competitions beginning at 7:45 am and finals at 7:15 p.m. Fifty five groups (including over 800 musicians) from California and Nevada performed, with eight of them appearing in the finals.
Jazz Choir finalists were San Marin and Novato, with Novato High School (at left) taking sweepstakes.
Arden and San Jose (Novato Unified School District) were the intermediate school finalists, with San Jose Middle School (right) taking top honor.
High Schools in the finals were Rio Americano AM (1st), Rio Americano PM (2nd), Novato (3rd), and Moreau Catholic (4th). The winning band is at left and below.
The 1997 edition of the Jazz Festival was held at Folsom Middle School, the Folsom Community Center clubhouse, and Natoma Station Elementary School. Finals were held at the Folsom Middle School. A complete list of standings is available.
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