2023 Lineup / Saturday Aug 12

The musical focus of the LGS Big Band is dance, jazz, Latin and vocals in all styles. The classics from Miller, Basie, Brown, and Goodman are among the featured songs as well as more modern works by arrangers such as Nestico, Goodwin, Carter, Hefti, Wolpe and more.

The Monterey Jazz Festival Regional All-Star Vocal ensemble features the top voice students from across Monterey County, who all come together to participate in an advanced choir.

The Serenaders band was originally formed in 1983 and has been active in various forms ever since. Although the band has always highlighted jazz standards from the proverbial Great American Songbook, it has evolved to include big band and swing versions of contemporary jazz and popular music.

The Monterey Jazz Festival Regional All-Star Band features the top music students from across Monterey County, who all come together to participate in middle and high school big bands.

Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88’s have been the torchbearers of a great American blues musical heritage for three decades. Taking their inspiration from the great jump n’ boogie outfits of the late 40s and early 50s, they breathe fresh life into the music that gave birth to rock n’roll.

Vanessa Collier is a sight to see, with head-turning, fiery and passionate performances. A Berklee College of Music graduate and the 2022 Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year, Blues Blast Magazine calls her “an important part of the future of the blues” and blues legend Buddy Guy calls her live performance “amazing.”

VibraSÓN brings traditional sounds of Latin music together with modern rhythms, soulful vocals and adventurous solos. The members of VibraSÓN have a richness and depth of experience in the many forms of Latin jazz, highlighted in this Montgomery Theater Stage set.

Synchronicity is a classical jazz ensemble of alumni from various Bay Area big bands, in the tradition of Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones and Oliver Nelson.

Founded in Oakland in 2015, we are an assembly of world class jazz musicians, dedicated to sharing the joy of jazz with children (ages 9-17) through our after school classes and by performing concerts with our students, and sharing jazz through educational concerts with our community at large.

Diana Trujillo, known as “Chika Di,” is a rising star who blends traditional Latin, electronic, afro, and pop with powerful Colombian vocals. She has credits on the hit TV shows Euphoria and Generation, and her debut album is set to release in 2023.

Cimafunk is a Grammy Award-nominated Afro-Cuban rockstar. His name refers to his heritage as a “cimarrón,” a Cuban of African descent who resisted and escaped slavery, as well as to the essence of his music that subverts classical Cuban rhythms with innovative mixes of funk, Afrobeat and hip-hop.

Top Shelf Big Band brings the swinging sounds of live jazz and ballroom dancing to life. Enjoy vintage jazz and standards made famous by groups like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller and Les Brown with this 17-piece orchestra.

Vanessa Collier is a sight to see, with head-turning, fiery and passionate performances. A Berklee College of Music graduate and the 2022 Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year, Blues Blast Magazine calls her “an important part of the future of the blues” and blues legend Buddy Guy calls her live performance “amazing.”

VibraSÓN brings traditional sounds of Latin music together with modern rhythms, soulful vocals and adventurous solos. VibraSÓN’s music respects and honors the classic salsa from the Boogaloo era of the 1960s while adding a contemporary feel with dancers in mind.

With dozens of movie scores and over 500 recording credits to his name across jazz, R&B and opera,  Grammy Award-winning Marcus Miller’s resume speaks for itself. Marcus sets the standard for slap bass as a leading instrument with a sound that’s distinctly funky, melodic and multifaceted.

South Bay native Maxx Cabello Jr. plays the guitar with high-octane energy that combines elements of blues, rock and his own musical vision. An accomplished singer and songwriter, Cabello’s music appeals to a diverse range of audiences with his honest lyricism and powerful vocals.

Óskar Ly & Rumbalú is an electrifying Latin musical collective in the thriving landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area. With their captivating fusion of jazz, salsa, pop, and Afro-Latin rhythms, Rumbalú has become a driving force in the Bay’s contemporary music scene.

Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, producer and actor Anthony Hamilton has achieved global sales of over 50 million albums. The North Carolina Music Hall of Fame inductee notably performed for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle, cementing his place in the history books as the “Narrator of Love.”

The premier West Coast Latin music ensemble, La Verdad, is a collective of world-class musicians whom embody the truth of the Los Angeles Latino experience through their blend of traditional and original repertoire that spans the scope of Latin American route music including salsa, cha cha, boogaloo and Latin soul.