Pacific Jazz Ambassadors

I'm SUPER excited to be a part of the Lewis Nash All-Stars performing this weekend (Saturday Nov. 2, 2024) at The Nash in Phoenix, AZ with some of my favorite artists: Gilbert Castellanos (trumpet), your truly on alto, Rickey Woodard (tenor), Cyrus Chestnut (piano), Peter Washington (bass) and the Fantastic Lewis Nash (drums). This concert is part of the Nash Grand Re-Opening! If you're in the Phoenix area, don't miss this show! Sets at 7pm and 9pm. Follow this link for tickets https://thenash.org/event/the-lewis-nash-all-stars/?v=1730341877_the-lewis-nash-all-stars
Hope to see ya'll there!

We're excited to announce our shows at Take 5 Jazz Club this spring. Join us on February 24, March 31 & April 28. Tickets at the door: $15 general admission, $5 students.

Happy birthday Dave Brubeck! He has been and always will be an inspiration.
https://youtu.be/NpAYRJXTglY

Pacific Hail Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupPacific Hail · Dave BrubeckIndian Summer℗ 2007 Telarc InternationalReleased on: 2007-01-01Composer Lyricist: Unk...

Meet Marwan Ghonima, our bassist from Houston, TX: "I started playing electric bass in 6th grade. I practiced a lot and I was playing in blues, R&B and punk bands because there's a large scene for that in Houston. I took up upright bass and jazz to be more versatile. When I went to a performing arts HS in Houston, I was around a community of people really influential in the jazz scene. They pushed me in the right direction and kept me going."
Photo by Christian Murillo.

We're playing on Thursday night at Take 5 Jazz Club inside of Valley Brewing Company (Official) in Stockton. Come to hear some great jazz, cheer the Holiday Season, and find out who will be playing at the club during this winter/spring season. Tickets @ the door ($15 & $5), 7:00 pm.

Meet Toby Keys, our pianist from Sacramento, CA: "One of my first albums was Brubeck's 'Timeout.' That got me interested in playing the piano. Before that I played more traditional jazz on the clarinet. I think, I had a lot of energy as a kid and improvising was a great outlet for me. So that’s what got me hooked on jazz. When I realized I could play piano a bit better, I started to like jazz even more."

Meet Tal Kalman, our saxophonist from Rehovot, Israel: "My mom introduced me to this instrument. Saxophone and jazz are tied together, so I explored a lot of jazz music. One of the first records I ever owned was with Dave Brubeck’s quartet touring in Europe, not a very well-known record, but I heard it so many times I know it by heart, and I absolutely to this day adore Paul Desmond, one of my favorite saxophone players."

Photo by Christian Murillo

Meet Samson Hulett, our drummer from Sacramento, CA: "None of my family like jazz, so I had to discover it on my own. I don't even really know how I got into it. I just found it and I liked it. When I was 13-14, I really got into it and started playing with other people."
Photo by Christian Murillo.

Meet Gianna Pedregon, our violinist from Los Angeles, CA: "I started playing violin when I was 4. I got classical training through the Suzuki method. I started taking jazz lessons when I was 8, and I thought it was cool. For the last 2-3 years, I went back to my classical training to keep up my technique, and I’ve been doing both recently. I also went to an arts high school and that was where I decided that I wanted to do jazz and be a musician."
Photo by Christian Murillo.