The Santa
Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation (SBVJF) is proud to announce that Thomas Reed has
joined the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation's newly formed Advisory Council. Advisory
Council members will lend support to the foundation's efforts of bringing
vocal jazz music education to area schoolchildren. SBVJF programs include
8-week vocal jazz workshops and VocalPoint acappella jazz presentations.
Mr. Reed has served as the Development Director for the Capital Campaign
to acquire and renovate a new building for the Unity Shoppe.
Two million dollars were raised in 30 days to acquire the building, and the
renovation was completed in time for the Grand Opening on December 6th 2003, the
day of the KEYT3 Unity Telethon. The
new facility is affectionately referred to as the “Miracle on State Street.” Recently
Tom has been appointed by the board as Executive Director of the Unity Shoppe.
Tom comes from a long
background of enterpreneurship in and out of the nonprofit sector.
He is a talented singer, songwriter and guitarist and served as Music Director
and Family Life Ministries Director at the largest church in Reno, Nevada.
Tom has performed concerts across the country and his music has taken him
as far as Chile in South America, numerous times.
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The Santa
Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation (SBVJF) is proud to announce that Thomas Reed has
joined the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation's newly formed Advisory Council. Advisory
Council members will lend support to the foundation's efforts of bringing
vocal jazz music education to area schoolchildren. SBVJF programs include
8-week vocal jazz workshops and VocalPoint acappella jazz presentations.
Mr. Reed has served as the Development Director for the Capital Campaign
to acquire and renovate a new building for the Unity Shoppe.
Two million dollars were raised in 30 days to acquire the building, and the
renovation was completed in time for the Grand Opening on December 6th 2003, the
day of the KEYT3 Unity Telethon. The
new facility is affectionately referred to as the “Miracle on State Street.” Recently
Tom has been appointed by the board as Executive Director of the Unity Shoppe.
Tom comes from a long
background of enterpreneurship in and out of the nonprofit sector.
He is a talented singer, songwriter and guitarist and served as Music Director
and Family Life Ministries Director at the largest church in Reno, Nevada.
Tom has performed concerts across the country and his music has taken him
as far as Chile in South America, numerous times.
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The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation (SBVJF) is proud to announce
that Hal Conklin
has joined the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation's newly formed Advisory Council. Advisory
Council members will lend support to the foundation's efforts of bringing
vocal jazz music education to area schoolchildren. SBVJF programs include
8-week vocal jazz workshops and VocalPoint acappella jazz presentations.
Mr. Conklin is the
Director of Public Affairs for Southern California Edison’s Government Education
Team. He was the Mayor and member of the City Council for the City of Santa Barbara
for 18 years, serving from 1977 to 1995.
During that time, he was the President of the California League of Cities (1991-92)
and the Vice President of the National League of Cities (1993-94).
He is currently the President of the California Center for Civic Renewal,
an educational foundation aimed at renewing and inspiring participation in local
democracy.
Hal is known in Santa
Barbara for his work in the restoration of some of the cities most cherished landmark
buildings, including Stearns Wharf and the Arlington and Granada theaters.
He is a member of the Board of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing
Arts. In addition, Mr. Conklin is a
syndicated film columnist whose articles first appear under the banner “Cinema In
Focus” in the Santa Barbara Beacon.
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Santa Barbara News Press - Lighting the
Way - March 3, 2004
IN OUR SCHOOLS
Each dollar you donate will be matched by the
Santa Barbara Foundation
The Santa Barbara Foundation has awarded a $10,000 challenge grant
to the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation, a nonprofit organization (SBVJF).
The SBVJF must collect $5,000 from the community by April 1, 2004 to receive
the final $5,000 of the challenge grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation.
We have raised a little over half of the needed funds. Please help!
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation brings vocal jazz to area
school children in the form of 45 minute presentations by VocalPoint, the performing
vocal jazz ensemble for the SBVJF. SBVJF also provides instruction in vocal
jazz to school children over an 8-week period, culminating in a
performance of 7 vocal jazz arrangements to their student body. Please help
bring music education to our schools. Each dollar you donate will be matched
by the Santa Barbara Foundation! We have until April 1 and need to raise $2,300 more
to meet our goal! Send donations to SBVJF P.O. Box 514, Goleta CA 93116.
Contact: Melissa Brooks, Development Director
Phone: 569-9658
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Santa Barbara News Press
- Lighting the Way - January
13, 2004
AWARDEDTO FUND MUSIC EDUCATION
Santa Barbara Foundation supports music education
in the schools
The Santa Barbara Foundation has awarded a $10,000 challenge grant
to the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation (SBVJF). The SBVJF must collect
$5,000 from the community by April 1, 2004 to receive the final $5,000
of the challenge grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation.
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation brings vocal jazz to area
school children in the form of 45 minute presentations by VocalPoint, the performing
vocal jazz ensemble for the SBVJF. SBVJF also provides instruction in vocal
jazz to school children over an 8-week period, culminating in a
performance of 7 vocal jazz arrangements to their student body. Please help
bring music education to our schools. Each dollar you donate will be matched
by the Santa Barbara Foundation! Send donations to SBVJF P.O. Box 514, Goleta
CA 93116.
Contact: Melissa Brooks, Development Director
Phone: 569-9658
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Nov 14, 2003 - Jazz Never Had It So Good
Goleta Valley Voice
By Margo Kline
Cats and chicks who did Cab Calloway's "Hi-dee-hi-dee-ho"
and Ella Fitzgerald's silken scat vocalizing get a chance tomorrow night to hear
a bounty of jazz, all for a good cause.
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation will present VocalPoint
Jazz Harmony and the Full D.E.K. jazz trio at Marjorie Luke Theatre of Santa Barbara
Junior High School, 721 E. Cota Street.
The foundation has two main missions said Melissa Brooks,
the development director: to preserve the art of vocal jazz, and to get young people
interested in it. In the cause of bringing good jazz to the young, the performers
have appeared before an estimated 12,000 kids in schools. "You should see
the kids," Brooks said. "They get up on stage and perform, and do call-and
response singing and they love it."
The foundation sends its singers to various elementary schools
to do their thing and teach young children how much fun jazz can be. This
school year, the vocal jazz workshops will take place over an eight-week period,
including two at Goleta's Hollister and Ellwood schools.
"People who come to the concert will be helping our workshop
program," Brooks said. "Lots of kids know who we are."
Tomorrow's concert will feature numbers by the likes of
Gene Puerling, who arranged for the Hi-Los and the Four Freshman. Also featured
will be arrangements by Kim Collins including his original tune entitled, "Santa
Barbara." Jay Kenton, a member of VocalPoint, has also created an a cappella
arrangement of George Gershwin's "Fascinatin' Rhythm."
The first half of the program is an all a capella set, with
VocalPoint the 12-member vocal ensemble. In the second half, the singers will
be accompanied by Full D.E.K., instrumentalists Debbie Denke, Eje Lynn-Jacobs, Kim
Collins, and Dr. Lee Neuenschwander on horn.
Brooks said the roster of VocalPoint contains two nurses,
a mortgage broker/business owner, a businesswoman, a public interest advocate, three
music educators, one layer, a math teacher and a recent Westmont College graduate.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Unity Shoppe
as well as the foundation's children's education program. The foundation is
a nonprofit agency funded entirely through grants, private donations, fundraisers
and concert proceeeds.
Unity Schoope currently is staging its Grand Opening Month
for a new site, at 1219 State Street. Unity Shoppe is a year-round free "store"
that provides the elderly, the disabled and low-income families with children the
opportunity to "shop" with dignity for needed items.
The new facility has been renovated, with a layout of facades
that includes a train depot, a jil, a firehouse, a bank and a little red schoolhouse.
Each one contains a different food section of the free store.
Tomorrow's concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the newly renovated
school auditorium.
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November 13, 2003
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation will present a benefit
concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Marjorie Luke Theatre on the Santa Barbara
Junior High School Campus.
The first half of the show will feature VocalPoint, a 12-member
vocal jazz ensemble, performing entirely a cappella.
The second half will also include VocalPoint with accompaniment
and instrumentals by a new jazz trio, Full D.E.K., with Debbie Denke, Eje Lynn-Jacobs
and Kim Collins, and special guest Dr. Lee Neuenschwander on horn.
Concert proceeds benefit the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation
school programs and the Unity Shoppe. Tickets are $25 and $15. Call
565-9359 or visit www.ticketmaestro.org.
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Dec. 19, 2002 - The Navigator (Goleta
Valley Junior High Student Newspaper)
Headline: Getting the Point of Jazz Vocal
Stylings
By Katerine Perry and Kevin Cheng
"And now let's give a warm welcome to the jazz ensemble,
"VocalPoint!" announced Dr. Robertson. With that, the crowd exploded with
applause as the eleven members of VocalPoint, a local jazz group, approached the
microphones on the stage. It was a very laid-back setting; the five men and
six women were dressed in blue jeans and black shirts or jean jackets.
The crowd didn't have to wait long before the group swung
into their first song, "Straighten Up and Fly Right," an old favorite originally
sung by Nat King Cole. There wasn't a dull moment in the assembly. The
singers kept the crowd going with their upbeat jazz and blues songs.
After the song had finished, VocalPoint began teaching the
students about the differences among different styles of music. To make it
easier, they sang the song, "Mary Had A LIttle Lamb" in a classical style, and then
in a jazzy style so that the listeners could hear the difference.
They also explained their unique style of singing: a capella.
A capella means "no instruments" in Latin. They then began introducing their
group to the audience, telling them about what they do and who the members were.
They also introduced the different parts of their group, from the sopranos all the
way down to the bass.
VocalPoint knows how to get the audience involved in their
programs. The highlight of the performance for seventh grade students: Nayelli
Mireles, Rudy Lopez, Shell Sumerall, Geoffrey Bell, Paul Nickles and Jessica
Fletcher went onstage and tested out their "scat skills." Scay singing is
when syllables are hummed. As they ended the song, applause filled the entire
auditorium, and that wrapped up the show!
VocalPoint's performance at Goleta Valley was a great, music
treat and many people enjoyed it. Alexander Wang said, "It was a really fun
experience to hear them sing." Will Kincannon said, "It was a wonderful performance."
Listening to VocalPoint sing was a brilliant experience and we hope they come back
to perform for us again next year.
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VocalPoint concert to feature James Tamborello,
Debbie Denke and Craig Thatcher
VocalPoint will present a benefit performance of vocal jazz
at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the First United Method Church, 305 E. Anapaum St.
Proceeds from the concert, an evening of jazz standards along with some holiday
selections, will benefit the Unity Shoppe and the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation.
Dr. James Tamborello, an oral surgeon and accomplished musician,
will be one of the featured artists in the concert. He will play woodwinds
and wind synthesizer with VocalPoint and the Debbie Denke Combo.
Craig Thatcher, a professional drummer who has toured all
over the world, will also be featured. He has recorded with artists including
Christopher Cross, Karla Bonoff and Morningstar.
The Vocal Jazz Foundation is a nonprofit organization that
supports itself with grants and private donations. The Foundation is developing
a workshop program to teach vocal jazz to area school children. The group's
mission is to bring vocal jazz to the area's school children in the form of performances,
workshops and music education. VocalPoint, the performing arm of the Foundation,
has performed in more than 20 local schools.
For concert tickets or information, call 569-9658.
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Santa Barbara Foundation Awards Program Development Grant
On October 1, 2002, The Santa Barbara Foundation awarded a grant of $10,000 to the
Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation (SBVJF). The funds will be used to assist
with the development of the new SBVJF Vocal Jazz School Workshop Program.
This program is an exciting new venture, which brings vocal jazz education to the
individual child, culminating in a school performance by the entire class at the
end of the 7 week program. SBVJF has
made arrangements with two elementary schools in the spring of 2003, Foothill School
and El Rancho School, to provide a seven-week curriculum to approximately 35 school
children in each school. This curriculum will involve individualized vocal
instruction and technique, jazz history, and performance coaching. Four music
educators from the SBVJF will separate out the children into smaller groups, according
to voice range. After 7 weeks, the new "jazz chorus" will perform at their
school. "We are so excited to bring vocal jazz education to elementary school
children," Kim Collins, Music Director, states. “Thanks again to the
Santa Barbara Foundation for supporting our mission. As vocal jazz lovers
ourselves, each of us at the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation are thrilled that
we are able to personally teach children an exciting form of music that they might
not otherwise be exposed to." Because the SBVJF is funded through
grants such as the Santa Barbara Foundation has provided, SBVJF is able to provide
this new music program to school children at no charge.
SBVJF is looking for volunteers, a new board member, and is in the process
of setting up an advisory board. In addition, we are $7,000 short of our goal
to provide workshop materials for our program and to reach two more schools
in 2003-4. If you are interested in helping support this worthy cause, please
send donations to: SBVJF, P.O. Box 514, Goleta, CA 93116-0517, or call 569-9658
if you would like to volunteer. We would love to hear from you!
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Ike Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund Awards Concert
This past Saturday was the inaugural concert to raise funds for the
Ike Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund.
Local Santa Barbara favorites,
The Konrad Kono Jazz Quartet and VocalPoint, the performing arm of the Santa Barbara
Vocal Jazz Foundation, joined with the Dos Pueblos Jazz Choir to wow about 700 attendees
at the Santa Barbara High School.
The fund was established in June 2001 by the Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation
to honor a Santa Barbara “jazz icon,” Ike Jenkins, to assist school age youth in
their training and education in thr uniquely American art form of vocal jazz, and
to enrich our local community.
Thursday’s Jerry Cornfield show featured Dirk Shumaker and Carl Hunterof “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy”
reminiscing with their former teacher and mentor, Ike Jenkins about times at LaCumbra
Junior and Santa Barbara Senior High. They shared stories about the days when Ike
taught jazz band and helped them get to state, national and international competitions,
as well as those life lessons taught like not leaving uniforms crumpled up in some
corner. The BBVD boys said they supported the cause and hoped to bring their whole
band back to do a benefit for the Ike Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund within
the next 12 months.
“I can’t tell you how honored I feel to have this fund established in my name,”
Jenkins reflected. “More importantly,
to think that I’ll be able to assist some young people pursue their musical goals
with a few dollars warms my heart more than you’ll ever know. Many were the times
in years past when I wanted to help a student financially but couldn’t.
Recalling that still breaks my heart.
Now I can see some exciting possibilities for my students, other young talent and
for our community as a whole through this new fund.”
Ike’s former work in the Santa Barbara/Goleta schools involved instrumental jazz,
but Ike had a dream which included directing a vocal jazz group. Four years ago,
he brought his dream to life by starting a vocal jazz choir at Dos Pueblos High.
The choir has grown in size and talent and is a blue ribbon winner at almost every
competition it faces. Last year, before heading off to Europe’s Montreux, North
Sea and Umbria’s world famous festivals, the DPHS choir, which had to travel as
the Santa Barbara Youth Jazz Choir, held their own with the professionals on stage.
Again, this year, the blue ribbon, silver throated youth’s, swooned under the large
dancing hands of Mr. J, as he painted the melodies and rhythms overhead. Kono and
VocalPoint said the kids were great. Kim Collins, director of VocalPoint said they
were so good, VP was happy they didn’t have to try to follow the DP act. Melissa
Brooks, VocalPoint soprano and business manager said, “We heard the (DP) choir rehearsing back
stage. They brought me to tears.”
Vocal jazz is unique unto itself in the realm of jazz and a jazz choir is even more
distinctive. It takes a special blend of voices to make the tight harmonies of jazz
ring. More than that, the jazz singer needs to be at one with the emotions and passion
inherent in the music. For a jazz choir that means each member has to work as a
team to make it happen. A jazz choir spends a lot of time learning what that means…
it’s more than just singing notes. It takes a certain rapport with each person in
the group and with the body as a whole to make it work.
Because of some early seed funding to the
Ike
Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund from Kiwanis Club of
Santa Barbara Suburban and some generous individual
donors, enough was raised to distribute $1500 in individual scholarships
at the concert. Twelve applications
were reviewed by a committee consisting
of Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation members and other interested individuals.
Two graduating seniors, Leyla Kuntsal and Stacie Corliss were given awards to further
their college pursuit of vocal training and jazz, and two juniors, Kelly Courtney
and A. Tianna Scozarro for vocal jazz lessons to enhance their already exceptional
abilities in the idiom. Since donations are still coming in for this year’s distribution,
the Foundation will also be making a grant of an undetermined amount to the DPHS
choir for their 2003 European tour. The fund is open to school age vocal jazz groups
within the Santa Barbara area. The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation will be accepting
applications for 2002-03 awards to be given next June.
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Her sound of success -- is on radio
SMALL BUSINESS
12/12/01
By ANDREA ESTRADA
NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
While
"Harmonious Office" might suggest an aromatherapy blend and "Ping-Pong" might evoke
images of a paddle sport, the phrases are the titles of radio spots that made the
Santa Barbara-based advertising agency Vicuna Productions a national winner in the
2001 Silver Microphone Awards.
The competition selects the best local and regional radio commercials and their
creators, radio stations and their owners in the United States.
More than 40,000 advertising agencies, production studios and radio stations in
the U.S. competed in 37 categories for the Silver Microphone Awards, with a panel
of judges rating their creativity, production quality, copywriting, talent and overall
effectiveness.
Vicuna's winning campaign, created for Montecito Bank & Trust, was entered in
the category that includes banks, credit unions and savings and loans.
Adele Menichella, owner of Vicuna Productions, wrote and produced the spots with
original music composed, directed and produced by Eje Lynn-Jacobs and performed by
Vocal Point Jazz Ensemble.
Mr. Lynn-Jacobs and Kim Collins arranged the music and Emmett Sargent of
Beagle Studios engineered the recordings.
"The Silver Microphone Awards pits large agencies against small ones," said Ms.
Menichella. "It's a really fun arena for competing to really see how you stand up
against agencies large and small across the country."
Winning a national award was gratifying, she added, because it validated the use
of local talent.
"Sometimes people think local means lower quality. This shows you can do something
that is the best of its kind and do it locally on a local budget."
The spots also won first runner-up honors for the best use of music in a radio advertisement.
"That was gratifying because there were so many musicians involved, and the message
was the music and the dialogue and how they worked together. The music was at the
forefront of the spot, not in the background."...
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SBVJF Receives Santa Barbara Foundation Grant
November 2, 2001 Issue
Valley Voice
Vocal Jazz Awarded Grant
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation was recently
awarded a capital grant of $3,465 by the Santa Barbara Foundation. The funds
will be used to assist with the purchase of sound equipment for performances and
rehearsals to bring vocal jazz harmony to local school children and the public at
large.
VocalPoint, the performing arm of the jazz foundation,
sings once a month at school assemblies, teaching elements of jazz singing, harmony,
scat and vocal improvisation in the form of demonstrations and participation with
the kids on stage. VocalPoint has visited numerous schools in the Goleta and
Santa Barbara areas.
"Thanks to the Santa Barbara Foundation, we now
can bring vocal jazz to the community and schools with a sophisticated sound system
that supports the intricate voicings of the vocal jazz chord progressions," said
Kim Collins, music director. We are so pleased with the support the foundation
has given to our organization."
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The Ike Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund
for the advancement of vocal jazz
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation (SBVJF) is proud to honor Isaac Jenkins
by establishing and administering the Ike
Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund. Ike Jenkins is a renowned musician
in the Santa Barbara area. Throughout his career he has worked as performer,
teacher and musical conductor for both voice and instrumental performance.
He was awarded the first Crystal Apple Award and the 1996 Santa Barbara Independent
Local Hero Award. Ike captivates the heart of everyone he touches with his
music and has a following of former students and their parents. The Santa
Barbara/Goleta community is truly fortunate to have Ike Jenkins educating youth
in the uniquely American genre of jazz music.
The Ike Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund is consistent the SBVJF's mission to promote,
develop and further the enjoyment and understanding of the vocal jazz art form.
The fund will allow SBVJF to provide scholarships and grants to young people and
groups demonstrating promise and excellence in vocal jazz music. Our goal
is to endow the fund as a perpetual tribute to Ike Jenkins and his inspiration to
young people in the area of jazz. In this age where music is often devalued
in the culture and our school systems, it is important to elevate awareness and
opportunities to experience the art form.
The scholarship fund is established to provide financial assistance through:
Scholarships to individual vocal jazz students
The IJMSF will provide financial assistance , primarily to high school age students
of the Santa Barbara School District, to develop vocal jazz appreciation by
awarding scholarships for:
Individual private voice lessons;
Individual participation in music camps;
Individual participation in music workshops.
Grants to Vocal Jazz Education Groups
The IJMSF will provide financial assistance for vocal jazz education within the
Santa Barbara School District by awarding grants to vocal jazz groups to:
Purchase Music textbooks;
Purchase instruments for vocal backup;
Participate in competitions, concerts and tours.
For more information about the Ike Jenkins Music Scholarship Fund, click here.
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The VocalPoint Jazz Chorus held 200 kids spellbound on Friday February 23 in the
La Colina theater. The assembly was a special elective one that kids
could choose to go to or not. The theater was packed and the kids were on
the edge of their seats and very responsive to the songs VocalPoint sang, the harmony
presentation and the Scat singing workshop.
The VocalPoint jazz harmony ensemble continues its mission of bringing great vocal
music to community schools with a morning performance at Foothill School.
The twelve voice a capella vocal ensemble presented two assemblies for the children
before the upper grades were whisked away to the symphony.
All of the childern got to experience a capella singing (some for the first time)
a short but effective presentation on harmony, and some got a chance to try scat
singing with the group while one of the members helped them along.
Even the staff was inspired with the singing of the Bill Withers Song "Lean On Me"
which helped them deal with a school issue having to do with serious illness in
their ranks.
VocalPoint "Gotta Sing!"
The Santa Barbara Independent, Dec.14-21, 2000, pg. 45
This generous outpouring of jazz vocal energy literally ends its hour
long, 14-track-strong set on the title track, closing bandleader Kim Collins's cool
swing ditty with a hip, unresolved chord. It's a fitting enough finale, summing
up the impetus behind the project-- all about suave mesh of vocal harmonies in the
key of swing. The smartly arranged vocal charts include a clever reread of
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow", in 5/4 and waltztime, and the swerve into jazz-flecked
pop with "Lean On Me" and "Scarborough Fair". Pianist Debbie Denke's combo
backs up the singers, and there are dead-on ringers on the date, too, including
trumpeter Jeff Elliott and saxophonist Jon Crosse (who also triples on flute and
flugelhorn).
Santa Barbara, California--
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation is pleased to announce the release of VocalPoint's
first compact disc recording entitled Gotta Sing! VocalPoint, Santa Barbara's premiere
jazz vocal ensemble, is the performing branch of the SBVJF, a non-profit corporation
dedicated to the preservation and promotion of vocal jazz harmony. VocalPoint, directed
by Kim Collins, Ejé Lynn-Jacobs and Sharlae Jenkins, is accompanied by the Debbie
Denke Combo for this debut album. For more information, visit the Santa Barbara
Vocal Jazz Foundation website at www.sbvocaljazz.org.
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation, a recognized 501
© 3 non-profit corporation, announces the publication of its web page hosted by
Mesa Internet Solutions. The SBVJF promotes, educates,
and, through their affiliate group VocalPoint, performs in the vocal jazz idiom.
The web page includes the organization's goals, information on services provided
by the SBVJF, and upcoming performances by VocalPoint.
The SBVJF was founded on the principle that the people of our
community and in particular our children should have the opportunity to experience
music in their lives. The SBVJF has had the opportunity to help kids of all ages
understand music and the elements that make it such an important and enriching art
form. The Foundation has also worked extensively with other Santa Barbara non-profit
organization fundraisers to benefit the community at large. The Santa Barbara Vocal
Jazz Foundation can be found on the web at www.sbvocaljazz.org.
SANTA BARBARA VOCAL POINT AND THE DEBBIE DENKE COMBO will be performing at a benefit
Jazz Concert put on for the children of our community affected with dyslexia and
other learning disabilities. The event will be held Saturday, September 30, 7:00
PM, at the Lobero Theatre. Tickets can be purchased
at the Lobero Ticket Office or at
the Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center,
second story of the Mid State Bank on Milpas and Carpinteria Street. Patron's Preferred
Seating $35.00; General Admission $25.00; Student Discount & Seniors (65 or
Older) $15.00. For more information please call 963-7339.
Vocal Point began in May 1997 as a group of professional,
semiprofessional, and amateur musicians brought together by a love of vocal jazz.
Led by director/arranger Kim Collins, the 12-member ensemble performs both a cappella
and accompanied vocal jazz featuring Horn Virtuosi Jon Crosse and Jeff Elliott.
Other members include longtime Santa Barbara musicians Eje Lynn-Jacobs and Sharlae
Jenkins.
The Santa Barbara Vocal Jazz Foundation, a local non-profit
organization dedicated to bringing vocal jazz to Santa Barbara schools and the community,
sponsors Vocal Point. The Foundation's goal is to raise public awareness of vocal
jazz harmony, and to preserve the musical form. Vocal Point has recently completed
its first CD, "Gotta Sing!" to be released in September 2000. The recording will
be available at the Lobero Theater concert.
Proceeds from the Jazz Concert will be donated towards new and ongoing programs
for children affected with dyslexia and other learning disabilities at the
Dyslexia Awareness and Resource Center.
For further information, please call
Les Esposito at 963-7339.
