Since 1958, the Monterey Jazz Festival has been dedicated to changing lives through music and empowering young people to achieve their full potential. Held every September, the Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest-running jazz event in the world. Festivities kick off Thursday evening, September 26, with the 13th Annual Jazz Legends Gala held this year at the Tehama Golf Club in Carmel. This event traditionally sells out — often before invitations are mailed! Tickets are available for $500 each.
Kenny Barron is jazz royalty. Over the course of his 60-year career, the Philadelphia-born pianist has performed and recorded with some of the most influential and popular jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Freddie Hubbard, Stan Getz, Ron Carter, Chet Baker, Joe Henderson, Yusef Lateef, and many other legends. His appearances on literally hundreds of recordings reflects Barron’s lifelong devotion to the music. In his distinguished career as a soloist and leader, he has won nearly every major honor that jazz provides — including being named Best Pianist in 2019 by the Jazz Journalists Association for a record 11 times — and has garnered 11 GRAMMY nominations. He was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2009, he was named a Living Legacy by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. Under his leadership as a professor of music at Rutgers University for 26 years, Barron mentored many of today's jazz talents, including David Sánchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Belle. In 2010, Kenny was named a National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master in recognition of his performance, educational and compositional career.
Dave Holland is one of jazz’s most recognized voices on his instrument. The then-22-year-old British bassist had been working steadily in the jazz scene on London at Ronnie Scott’s Club when Miles Davis invited him to join his band, where Holland played on some of the most forward-looking records in jazz, beginning with In a Silent Wayand Bitches Brew, alongside Jack DeJohnette, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. Holland played an integral role in the development of the music of Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Kenny Wheeler and many others through the avant-garde band Circle with Chick Corea and his own groups, creating a near-mythic body of work of solo pieces, duos, small group work, and big band arrangements. Through his leadership, he has also nurtured the careers of Chris Potter, Steve Coleman, Eric Harland, Craig Taborn, Steve Nelson, and Robin and Kevin Eubanks. Frequently topping critics polls, Holland has won three GRAMMYs with 11 nominations, and was named a National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master in 2017.
The Gala begins with a VIP reception, silent auction and raffle, and then dinner with the evening’s featured performing artists. This year, NEA Jazz Masters Kenny Barron and Dave Holland will be honored, and six-time Grammy-winning artist Christian McBride will present the awards. The evening’s final act will be a special performance by jazz artist Bria Skonberg, one of the hottest musicians on the scene.
Proceeds from this event fund the Monterey Jazz Festival’s extensive education programs serving 3,000 students in our most under-resourced communities. By supporting this event, you will help bridge the achievement gap in schools for students who need our support the most.
Stay tuned for more information about our amazing auction items including trips, exciting experiences, fine wine and dining!
Thursday, September 26, 2019, 6 pm Tehama Golf Club, 25000 Via Malpaso, Carmel, CA 93923 Tickets are $500 per person
Monterey Jazz Festival is a 501(c)3 educational nonprofit corporation. $275 of the $500 ticket price is tax deductible to the full extent of the law.