Lotus Festival to Bloom with Jazz Music

The Cal State L.A. Jazz Orchestra will kick off the Lotus Festival's 30th anniversary at its inaugural Twilight Jazz Concert on Friday, July 13, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles.

Led by director Jeff Benedict, the Cal State L.A. Jazz Orchestra will be playing music of Count Basie and Duke Ellington as well as contemporary music for big band.

Cal State L.A. students making up the orchestra include saxophone players Daniel Cortez, Aaron Fong, Raul Guerrero, JP Combs and Marc Walker; trombonists Jesus Viramontes, Shannon Wong, Charlen Jackson and Shaun Kuri; trumpet players Bob Chavez, Steve Turro, Jesus Gaxiola and Phil Jordan; pianists Esteban Adame and Ben Coria; guitarist Andres Torres; bass player Brian Martinez and drummer Vincent Simpson.

An accomplished jazz performer, Benedict is on the music faculty at Cal State L.A., where he teaches saxophone and is director of Jazz Studies. He has released two compact discs on the Resurgent Music record label, Castle Creek Shuffle and Standard Fare. Benedict holds a B.M. and an M.A. from the Lamont School of Music and a D.M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a student of Harvey Pittel, and has been the winner of four "deebee" awards from Downbeat magazine.

Highlighting the people and cultures of Asia and the Pacific Islands, the Lotus Festival coincides with the yearly blooming of the lotus flower. This free community event is sponsored by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, and will run from July 13 through July 15.

Along with a fireworks display, the Festival will also offer art, food, services, dance and entertainment representing many of the diverse countries of Asia and the Pacific Islands. The Friday evening concert will also include performances by the Harvard-Westlake School Jazz Ensemble and the Cross Hart Jazz Experience. For more on the Lotus Festival, go to www.laparks.org/grifmet/lotus.htm.

For more on the Cal State L.A. Jazz Orchestra, call Jeff Benedict at the CSULA Music Department at (323) 343-4060 or email jbenedi@calstatela.edu.