De Soto High School’s annual Fountain City Jazz Fest will return this weekend.
It will be held during the school day on Friday, March 22, with activities resuming at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 23.
Festivities will conclude with a concert featuring Grammy Award-winning trombonist Michael Dease and the De Soto High School Jazz Ensemble that will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, at the De Soto High School Theater, 815 Amvets Drive.
Tickets for the concert are $5 for adults and $3 for youth. Tickets may be purchased online at desoto.ludus.com or at the door.
According to his website, Dease is one of the world’s eminent trombonists, lending his sound and improvisations to more than 200 recordings and groups, including Grammy Award-winning artists David Sanborn, Christian McBride, Michel Camilo and Alicia Keys.
Born in Augusta, Ga., he moved to New York City to become part of the first class of jazz students at the Juilliard School, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He serves as a professor of jazz trombone at Michigan State University and has been a faculty member at Queens College/City University of New York, The New School and Northeastern University.
Darrell Boyer, the De Soto School District’s director of bands, said student bands from De Soto, Jefferson R-7, Herculaneum, Northwest, Ste. Genevieve and North County high schools will perform on Friday throughout the school day and receive feedback from clinicians.
Then, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, De Soto band will hold their first-ever Improvisation Intensive clinic. Registration for the clinic, which costs $25, is required. For more information about enrolling a student, email boyer.darrell@desoto.k12.mo.us.
“This one-day ‘mini jazz camp’ is focused on teaching students how to improvise and perform in a combo setting,” Boyer said. “Our clinicians include Aaron Lehde (director of bands for the Ladue School District), Tony DiPasquale (director of bands for the Belleville School District) and Dr. Joel Vanderheyden (director of jazz at Jefferson College).
“Throughout the day students will be working with clinicians and learning about jazz theory and performance,” Boyer said. “(Dease) will also be working with the combos during the day as well as presenting a masterclass.”
A masterclass led by Dease will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday in the high school auditorium, and it’s free for students to watch, Boyer said.
“It’s not every day a Grammy artist comes through town and offers a wealth of information to share with kids,” Boyer said.
Since 2018, the Fountain City Jazz Festival, presented by the De Soto School District’s band program, has provided jazz programs with the opportunity for student musicians to perform and receive feedback from experienced jazz clinicians.