The Monterey Jazz Festival kicked off its 65th annual celebration at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) on Sept. 22.
The festival began with a free concert, open to all CSUMB students and the surrounding community at the World Theater. It resumed Sept. 23-25 at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, its traditional venue.
The free concert at CSUMB was held in honor of Bob Danziger, a friend of CSUMB and the Monterey Bay Jazz Festival. It was sponsored by McDonald’s, Alaska Airlines and Kaiser Permanente.
The concert featured lively performances by the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo, and performances from the jazz ensembles and choirs of Morgan State University and Texas Southern University.
The Department of Music & Performing Arts Chair, Jeffrey Jones, explained he hopes to see this turn into an event CSUMB will be known for.
Jones referenced buttons and other merchandise schools have saying “you know you went to school here when…” He hopes people will one day connect CSUMB to the Monterey Jazz Festival similarly.
The evening was filled with many performances the audience appeared to love. Multiple versions received standing ovations, and the night closed out with the audience dancing to the night’s final song.