Guest artist, Brian Lynch, trumpet

"This is the end of the century, and a lot of music has gone down, I think that to be a straight-ahead jazz musician now means drawing on a wider variety of things than 30 or 40 years ago. Not to play a little bit of this or a little bit of that, but to blend everything together into something that sounds good. It doesn't sound like pastiche or shifting styles; it's people with a lot of knowledge."

Few musicians embody this 21st century credo as profoundly as trumpeter, composer and teacher, Brian Lynch. A respected insider within both the hardcore bebop and Latin communities, Lynch is comfortable negotiating the complexities of clave with Afro-Caribbean pioneer Eddie Palmieri as he is swinging through advanced harmony with bebop maestro Phil Woods.

Lynch grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he apprenticed on a high level with such local residents as pianist Buddy Montgomery and organist Melvin Rhyne, while earning a degree from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Located in San Diego in 1980-81, he gained further valuable experience in the group of alto master Charles McPherson. Towards the end of 1981, Lynch moved to New York, and soon linked up with the Horace Silver Quintet (1982-1985) and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra (1982-1988). Simultaneously, he played and recorded on the Latin scene with salsa bandleader Angel Canales (1982-83) and legendary cantante Hector LaVoe (1983-87). He began his association with Eddie Palmieri in 1987, and at the end of 1988 joined what turned out to be the final edition of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. He began his association with Phil Woods in 1992, and also worked frequently with Benny Golson around this time.

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Our Commitment to Jazz Education

The annual Moores School of Music Jazz Festival invites middle school and high school jazz ensembles to perform in the Moores Opera House for a panel of distinguished jazz artists. Our festival will be organized according to IAJE guidelines and will include a private clinic/commentary session by one member of the panel. Although this festival is not competitive, it includes a trophy system that will single out top performances by individuals and groups. The festival trophy list includes:

• 50 All-Star Trophies (25 given each day to outstanding performers)
• Outstanding Soloist of the Day
• Outstanding Soloist of the Festival
• Outstanding Middle School Ensemble of the Day
• Outstanding High School Ensemble of the Day
• Outstanding Middle School Ensemble of the Festival
• Outstanding High School Ensemble of the Festival
• Outstanding Ensemble of the Festival

Our guest artist will be presenting a free one-hour clinic with the assistance of the MSM Jazz Orchestra beginning at noon. This free clinic is open to the public.

Purchase Tickets

Discounted tickets packages are available to all school groups who have participated in the MSM Jazz Festival ONLY.  In order to attend the evening concerts, tickets MUST be purchased, as they ARE NOT included in the festival entry fee.  For those parties interested in obtaining tickets to the festival's evening performances, tickets are available at full price at the door.  

For more information, please call the MSM Ticket Office at (713) 743-3388.

Complete our PDF ticket order form, then sign, and fax it to us.

Want to Participate?

If you are interested in participating in our event, we strongly encourage everyone to please send the necessary application fee as quickly as possible. Time slots fill up very quickly and ensembles will be admitted in the order that their applications are received.

1. Complete our online registration form, then email, fax, or mail to us.
2. Complete our online ensemble roster form, then email, fax, or mail to us.
3. Use our online stage setup application, which will let us know how to set up our stage properly for your organization.