Photo by Arturo Riera
When Music Director John Calloway, Ph.D., talks about his young students in the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble (LJYE), he doesn't use the word "kids." He prefers to call them "musicians."
"Even though part of the draw for the group is that they are youth, I don't see them differently from the professional musicians I work with," says Calloway, a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, public school educator and former San Francisco Arts Commisioner. "They are talented artists who just need to rack up more experience. I have no doubt they will some day be the 'names' you hear about on the Latin music scene," he says.
The LJYE made its debut on September 15, 2001, just four days after the national tragedy of September 11th. Although it was a sad a fearful time, the decision was made to continue with their San Francisco show, "A Tribute to Cal Tjader," where they opened for Latin Jazz All-Star Poncho Sanchez and his band at the Masonic Auditorium.
The youth's exuberant performance the same week as the 9/11 tragedy showed hope for the future and reverence for the past -- two sentiments that gave comfort to all who saw them play. That night the LJYE was born and it has remained in the embrace of Bay Area Latin jazz enthusiasts ever since.
Several generations of ensemble musicians have contributed to the legacy of Latin jazz history by recording three CDs which mainly feature original compositions by the students themselves. In 2005, the group recorded their first CD, "LJYE Live at Yoshi's," followed in 2009 by "Generaciones, and their latest recording, "Con Mis Manos" released in 2015. The CDs present the student musicians playing alongside notable special guests such as Armando Peraza, Jerry Gonzalez, John Santos, Jeff Cressman, and LJYE music director and multi-instrumentalist John Calloway.
The LJYE has won several awards for their performances. They were chosen as the top youth band in Northern California in the 2004 YouthQuake competition and won First Place (Youth Music) in Carnaval San Francisco in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Ensemble is honored to be Youth Artists-in-Residence at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens Festival since 2005.
The ensemble has played at San Francisco City Hall before dignitaries such as the Mayor, Assembly and Senate members, and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
Keeping the ensemble going is a joint effort between Calloway, and husband and wife team Arturo Riera and Sylvia Ramirez who provide the business management, coordination and publicity for the group. Along with Calloway, the couple co-founded the ensemble when their son, Daniel Riera, was the flutist in the original ensemble.
"We're working to create an accessible program that is open to all interested students, not just 'star' players. We'll develop them and give them the confidence to take their solos. Culture is a contact sport that should be free for all. Calloway's teaching style is to set a very high bar, and we achieve it. We often hear that people can't believe that the sophisticated sounds streaming from festival stages, jazz venues and community events are created by teen-agers," Ramirez says.
Students accepted into the LJYE must be between the ages of ten and 18 years-old, be able to play an instrument and read music. At a time when arts programs are being cut in the public schools, the LJYE has never charged for its master classes and stellar performance opportunities.
Riera and Ramirez are devoted volunteers who keep the administrative aspects of the program going while Calloway works directly with the musicians. In addition to getting paid gigs, the group also performs “pro bono” at various community benefits.
Riera is active on several arts organization boards in the Bay Area. He says his work with the LJYE students is the most rewarding thing he does, calling it "human gardening." "We plant the seeds, nurture the talent, and watch them grow," he says.
The group is financially self-sustaining and receives no outside funding. Riera, who serves as managing director, keeps the band busy with paid performances at festivals and community events. The funds are used to compensate Calloway for teaching, rehearsing, composing and arranging tunes for the group. Riera says that what Calloway earns from the project "doesn't come close to what his time and expertise is worth."
Although not all of the LJYE musicians are interested in pursuing a career in music, many alumni have displayed the passion, talent and dedication needed to make it in the performing world as professionals. Several students have won prestigious national awards including the Downbeat Student Award; ASCAP Young Composer Award; and National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Award while in high school. Some have gone on to the country's most prestigious music schools: Juilliard, Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and other esteemed music programs.
Creating the ensemble with Riera and Ramirez is a dream come true for Calloway, whose love of the music is outweighed only by his love of teaching. "Working with the group has allowed me to pass along the music, just as it was passed on to me. The music these students play is timeless. It's our contribution to keeping this art form alive in the years to come."
Meet the LJYE
When Music Director John Calloway, Ph.D. talks about his young students in the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble (LJYE), he doesn't use the word "kids." He prefers to call them "musicians."
"Even though part of the draw for the group is that they are young people, I don't see them differently from the professional musicians I work with," says Calloway, a Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, public school music educator and San Francisco Arts Commisioner. "They are talented artists who just need to rack up more experience. I have no doubt they will some day be the 'names' you hear about on the Latin music scene," he says.
Calloway created the group with Arturo Riera and Sylvia Ramirez, a couple who started out as parents of a student in the original group. "We were so passionate about the project that we became co-directors of the organization," Ramirez says.
The husband and wife team, both media professionals, provide the business management, coordination and publicity for the group. Along with Calloway, the couple co-founded the ensemble when their son, Daniel Riera, played in the original group.
The LJYE made it's debut on September 15, 2001, just days after the national tragedy of September 11th. Although it was the saddest of times, the decision was made to continue with their San Francisco show, "A Tribute to Cal Tjader," where they opened for Latin Jazz All-Star Poncho Sanchez and his band at the Masonic Auditorium.
"The youth's exuberant performance following such the tragedy showed hope for the future and reverence for the past -- two sentiments that provided comfort to all who saw them play. That night the LJYE was born and it has remained in the embrace of Bay Area Latin jazz enthusiasts. The most common comment we hear is that people can't believe that the sophisticated sounds streaming from festival stages, jazz venues and community events in the Bay Area are youth," Ramirez says.
The LJYE has made quite a name for itself on the live music scene in Northern California. They were chosen as one of the top youth bands in Northern California in the 2004 YouthQuake competition and won First Place (Youth Music) in Carnaval San Francisco in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Ensemble is honored to be Youth Artists-in-Residence at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Gardens Festival since 2005. They've played at San Francisco City Hall before dignitaries such as the Mayor, Assembly and Senate members, and former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
Students accepted into the LJYE must be between 10-18 years-of-age and be able to play an instrument and read music. At a time when arts programs are being cut in the public schools, the LJYE has never charged for its master classes and world-class performance opportunities, Ramirez says. "We're working to create an accessible program that is open to all interested students, not just the star players. We'll develop them and give them the confidence to take their solos. Culture is a contact sport that should be free for all," she says.
The group is financially self-sustaining and receives no outside funding. Riera keeps the band busy with paid performances at festivals and community events. The funds are used to compensate Calloway for his time teaching, rehearsing, composing and arranging for the group, although Riera says that what Calloway earns from the project "doesn't come close to what his time and expertise is worth."
Riera and Ramirez are devoted volunteers and keep the administrative aspects of the program going while Calloway works directly with the musicians. In addition to getting paid gigs, the group also performs “pro bono” at various community benefits.
Managing Director Riera is active on several arts organization boards in the Bay Area. He says his work with the LJYE students is the most rewarding work he does, calling it "human gardening. We plant the seeds, nurture the talent, and watch them grow."
Many of the LJYE alumni have displayed the passion, talent and dedication needed to make it in the performing world as professional musicians. Several students have won prestigious national awards including the Downbeat Student Award; ASCAP Young Composer Award; and National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts Award while in high school. Some have gone on to the country's most prestigious music schools: Juilliard, Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and other esteemed music programs.
Creating the Ensemble with Riera and Ramirez is a dream come true for Calloway, whose love of the music is outweighed only by his love of teaching. "Working with the group has allowed me to pass along the music, just as it was passed on to me. The music these students play is timeless. It's our contribution to keeping this art form alive in the years to come."