Hear the Kenton Legacy Orchestra May 25-26
Playing with the Four Freshman & numerous times over 2 days!
At our 2018 inaugural festival, trumpeter Mike Vax was featured as a solo artist. He's returning with his entire big band to co-headline our 2019 Roseville Jazz Festival. Mike's history with the legendary Stan Kenton Orchestra is truly legit, as he was a band member from 1970-1972. This outstanding orchestra plays new music written in the style of the Kenton Orchestra, as well as music written while Stan was alive.
Hear the Orchestra Live in Northern California May 25-26, 2019
About Us
The Friends of Big Band Jazz
The Friends of Big Band Jazz is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization. Its goal is to help educate students and the public about jazz and big band music through a variety of events and programs.
FBBJ is the parent sponsor of the Stan Kenton Legacy Orchestra, the Prescott Jazz Summit and a variety of events and programs created in the spirit of jazz education modeled on the efforts of the late Stan Kenton (1911-1979).
Supporting Music Education & Preservation
Friends of Big Band Jazz is a 501c3 non-profit corporation. In addition to providing clinics and music performances to more than 3000 organizations, the FBBJ has also given over $65,000 in scholarships to jazz camps, funds to jazz programs in schools, donations to help musicians in need, and a donation to Habitat for Humanity for the Musicians Village in New Orleans.
Mike Vax Music Productions
Mike Vax is very active in the music education field. He has done concerts and workshops in both the classical and jazz idioms at over 3000 high schools, colleges and universities all over the world. He is an international performing artist for the Warburton Musical Instrument Company.