Monterey Jazz Allstars

Raul Midón (guitar and vocals)
Ravi Coltrane (tenor and soprano saxophones)
Nicholas Payton (trumpet)
Gerald Clayton (piano)
Joe Sanders (bass)
Gregory Hutchinson (drums)

World-renowned for its artistic excellence, sophisticated informality, and longstanding mission to create and support year-round jazz education and performance programs in local, regional, national, and international venues, Monterey Jazz Festival has stayed true to expanding live performances of jazz around the country since 2008 by presenting national tours that have reached over 100,000 fans in 135 shows across the United States and Canada.

Raul Midón has appeared at Monterey three times, in 2009, 2011 and 2015. Ravi Coltrane first appeared at Monterey in 2001, nearly 41 years to the day after his own father, John Coltrane, made his debut at Monterey in 1960. Ravi also appeared at the Festival in 2013 and 2015. Nicholas Payton was the Festival’s Artist-In-Residence in 2000, and appeared again in 2015. Gerald Clayton, Joe Sanders, Gregory Hutchinson and Kendrick Scott, some of the rising stars in the jazz world, have been recent performers on Monterey stages, both at the Monterey Jazz Festival itself, and as high school students at the Festival’s 45-year old student competition, the Next Generation Jazz Festival.

Gerald Clayton, a scholarship and soloist award winner at Monterey’s 2000 and 2001 springtime Next Generation Jazz Festival with the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, made trio appearances at MJF in 2010 and 2012 with Joe Sanders, and recently performed in 2014 in duo with Charles Lloyd.

Gregory Hutchinson and Kendrick Scott split the drum position on the tour: Hutchinson plays the January and February dates, and Scott plays the March dates. Both drummers have a long history with the Festival: Hutchinson’s first of three appearances at MJF was in 1992, and Kendrick Scott, a three-time Berklee/Monterey group drummer from 1999-2003, has played at MJF nine times. Scott also was the drummer with MJF’s 50th Anniversary All-Stars on the 54-date tour in 2008, and performed on Terence Blanchard’s GRAMMY-winning recording with the band.

The Monterey Jazz Festival has presented nearly every major jazz star—from Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong to Esperanza Spalding and Trombone Shorty—since it was founded in 1958. Held every third full weekend in September on the Monterey County Fairgrounds, the Monterey Jazz Festival is a three-day celebration of music, commissioned jazz compositions, in-depth conversations with artists, panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, clinics, and an international array of food, shopping, and festivities spread throughout 20 acres.

A nonprofit organization, Monterey Jazz Festival now budgets more than $500,000 annually for jazz education. Cutting-edge educational components include the Traveling Clinician and Latin Jazz Programs; the Festival’s Summer Jazz Camp; the Instrument and Sheet Music Library; the Digital Education Music Project; the Monterey County High School All-Star Bands; and the Next Generation Jazz Festival—which draws thousands of the most talented young musicians from across the country and around the world to Monterey each spring.

The Artist-In-Residence Program, a key component of Monterey Jazz Festival’s philosophy of bringing leading jazz performers to work with students throughout the year, includes their appearance at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, Summer Jazz Camp and the Monterey Jazz Festival, both in performance and instruction.

A leader in jazz education, the Festival has also presented the winning bands from its high school competition since 1971, and has showcased talented young musicians in its all-star student big band, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. Throughout the years, many legendary and influential artists—including Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, and Benny Golson­—have mentored and performed with the all-star students, often premiering original works written for the band. Some of the alumni of the group include Ambrose Akinmusire, Joshua Redman, Patrice Rushen, Dave Koz, Eric Marienthal, Gordon Goodwin, Larry Grenadier, and Benny Green, to name a few.