On Saturday, May 16, 2015, West Ranch High School once again hosts Super Jazz at the Ranch. Local jazz bands from throughout the region will be in Stevenson Ranch for a spectacular day of music.

The day-long event includes jazz performances, competitions and clinics. Music will begin at 9 a.m. and features a performance by GO Jazz Big Band and culminates with an awards ceremony at 8:15 p.m.

Famed trombonist Alex Iles is scheduled to conduct a clinic for students and will join the West Ranch Studio A Jazz Band with a special performance. Iles is a trombone and jazz instructor at the California Institute of the Arts and California State University, Northridge. Iles has performed and recorded with many notables including Prince, Ray Charles, Harry Connick Jr. and Johnny Mathis. He has a long list of high profile performances including The Emmy Awards and The Golden Globes, as well as on movie soundtracks for Pirates of the Caribbean and The Incredibles among many others.

The Hart District Jazz “All-Stars,” a group composed of some of the most talented jazz students from around the district, will perform under the direction of Gary Pratt, co-director of the famed California State University, Northridge Jazz Studies program. Pratt’s guest conducting engagements have included performances in both Europe and Japan, and his noted versatility as a music educator has made him a highly sought after clinician and guest conductor of jazz ensembles, orchestras and concert bands.

GO Jazz Big Band, directed by Brian Leff, will punctuate the festival with an exhilarating performance at 7:30 p.m. The GO Jazz Big Band brings together 20 outstanding musicians to play the music of the legendary big bands as well as contemporary favorites in a big band setting.

Adjudicators include active professional musicians and notable jazz educators and will evaluate jazz ensembles from the Hart District and other schools from around Southern California.

All day general admission to Super Jazz at the Ranch is $10, and admission for students and seniors is $7. Food concessions will be available onsite. Updated information will be available at westranchmusic.com and at www.facebook.com/WRHSBandBoosters.

For additional information, contact Brian Leff, Director of Jazz Studies, West Ranch High School, at bleff@hartdistrict.org.

About Super Jazz at the Ranch: Super Jazz at the Ranch is an annual jazz festival, created by noted music educator Bob Babko, to bring professional and student musicians together. Babko, an inductee into the California Alliance for Jazz Hall of Fame in recognition of his dedication to music education, established the Super Jazz music festival in 1997 as one of his many endeavors to provide local jazz students with extraordinary opportunities to perform and learn.