Lineup Update ! 1.25.12 Los Angeles Jazz Collective Residency Part 4

8pm: Ryan Seward Group
Ryan Seward, guitar
Josh Welchez, trumpet
Scott Jeppesen, tenor sax
Gary Fukushima, keys
JP Maramba, bass
Jens Kuross, drums

9pm and 10pm: Jonathan Kreisberg Quartet
Jonathan Kreisberg, guitar
Will Vinson, alto sax
Joe Martin, bass
Mark Ferber, drums

The Los Angeles Jazz Collective is a growing organization that is dedicated towards building a stronger jazz community in the Los Angeles area. Co-founded by pianist Gary Fukushima and saxophonist Matt Otto, the LAJC has 13 core members including guitarists Jamie Rosenn, Steve Cotter and Mike Scott, pianist-organist Joe Bagg, saxophonists Matt Zebley, Robby Marshall and Damon Zick, trumpeters Brian Swartz and Josh Welchez, bassist Ryan McGillicuddy and drummer Jason Harnell, plus a growing number of associate members.

The Los Angeles Jazz Collective has sponsored some concerts (including a collective performance last April that served as the official birth of the organization), has put out a sampler CD, and has some ambitious if realistic plans for the future. Recently I chatted with Gary Fukushima, Matt Otto and Jamie Rosenn, asking the three musicians how an organization of this sort can function given the economic difficulties of being a jazz musician in Los Angeles, along with the democratic and rather spontaneous nature of the music.

The LAJC’s membership includes many of the area’s talented younger artists, including pianist/organist Joe Bagg; saxophonists Matt Zebley, Robby Marshall and Damon Zick; drummer Jason Harnell; bassist Ryan McGillicuddy; trumpeters Brian Swartz and Josh Welchez, and guitarists Steve Cotter, Jamie Rosenn, and Mike Scott. There are currently 13 core members and a growing number of associate members. The collective has held meetings several times each month since November of 2007 and has already established a strong sense of community within the membership. Many members are on the faculty at various colleges and schools, and the collective intends to integrate enthusiastic students into this community. The LAJC aims to be a catalyst for those who play modern, creative jazz to represent the pioneering spirit that is the essence of the jazz tradition. The collective is compelled to live out that spirit by forging ahead in it’s members’s own compositions and performances.

Los Angeles Jazz Collective website