Jazz Festival Set for November 10

 

Rivers’ Honors Big Band members include Kevin Kamanitz '21, baritone saxophone; Jonah Berg ’20, alto saxophone; Will Randall ’21, tenor saxophone; Rayha McPherson ’21, alto saxophone; Calvin Carswell ’21, tenor saxophone; Calvin Smith ’21, trumpet; Dylan Keusch ’19, trumpet; Owen Nagode ’21, trumpet; Ian Berhstock ’22, trumpet; Theo Haviland ’19, trombone; Lindy Billhardt ’19, trombone; Cameron Dailey ’21, trombone; Michael Manasseh ’19, drums; Joel Manasseh ’20, bass; David Gomez ’20, guitar; and Henry Lewis ’20, piano.

Mr. Umstead, the commissioned composer for the festival, presented a masterclass for the Big Band on October 17, in preparation for the festival. Umstead is presently the Unified Arts Department Chair at Hollis-Brookline High School in New Hampshire. In addition to his 20-plus years conducting high school bands, he has directed jazz ensembles at Plymouth State University, the University of Louisville, and Southern New Hampshire University, and has performed with myriad ensembles of various genres, from the Monterey Jazz Festival in California to St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. In the jazz realm, he has shared the stage with renowned musicians including Harry Connick, Sr., Antonio Hart, Steve Davis, and others.

The Umstead Big Band includes jazz musicians from the Greater Boston area and beyond, representing artists from three different New England states. The ensemble includes public school music educators, college music professors and freelance performers. Collectively, these musicians have vast experience performing with a long list of legends from Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry to Tony Bennett and Natalie Cole, as well as internationally known ensembles including the Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, and Dorsey Brothers bands.