MSU Billings Jazz Festival

Friday, January 31, 2025

The Montana State University Billings Jazz and Commercial Ensembles are focused on authentically learning multiple styles of Jazz and Commercial music in order for the student to approach future playing and teaching situations with confidence and knowledge. Our ensembles sincerely enjoy sharing the love of music and broadening our own minds as well as those in the community, to become more artistically and culturally aware.

Adjudication

All college, high school, and junior high jazz ensembles in the state are cordially invited to the MSU Billings Jazz Festival, which will take place on Friday, January 31, 2025, at MSU Billings.  All sizes of ensembles are invited to attend, including big bands, combos, modern bands, vocal jazz, and any other size or instrumentation of Jazz or Commercial ensemble. In addition to adjudication, highly experienced clinicians will also provide improvisation, instrumental, and music production clinics. This festival is non-competitive and focused on education and nurturing the love of music. Top Soloists of the festival will be awarded at the evening concert. There are no adjudication fees required for this festival.

Guest Artists & Adjudicators

• Ron Blake, trumpet player, arranger, recording artist
  • Ron Blake is a Los Angeles based trumpet player and arranger. After attending Hamilton High School Academy of the Arts, he went on to Cal State Northridge for his undergraduate degree. While there, he started to play and record professionally with artists such as Dr. Dre and the legendary salsa singer Celia Cruz. Offered a full scholarship, he then attended The California Institute of the Arts for his master's degree. Since then, he has been consulting, performing, arranging, and recording with numerous artists and projects including the 2020 Academy Awards with Elton John, Disney’s animated series ,Elena of Avalor and Fancy Nancy , and actor/director John Turturro’s 2020 movie , “The Jesus Rolls."

• Joey De Leon, percussionist, educator, recording artist

  • Joey De Leon is one of the most diverse percussionists of our time. He was born in the Hell’s Kitchen section of New York City and hails from a deep heritage of musicians primarily raised in the South Bronx and North Bergen, New Jersey. He currently teaches at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles and holds a bachelor’s degree in Classical Percussion from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, where he was awarded the highest honor, The George Schick Award for Most Outstanding Musicianship.  Joey has performed or recorded with artists of almost every genre from jazz, Latin, pop, film, and contemporary classical music. The diverse list of artists is too long to mention but vary as wide as Queen Latifah, Al Jarreau, Dave Valentin, Hilton Ruiz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Juan Gabriel, Joao Sebastian, Jennifer Lopez, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper and Tan Dun. He has also recorded for many film and TV scores.  Joey is a member of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, having won a Grammy for his work on “Life in the Bubble.” He also played with congüero Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band for over a decade. He played a one-year stint with the legendary trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, having won a Grammy on his album as well. 

• Otto Granillo, trombonist, interdisciplinary performing artist, composer
  • Otto Granillo is an interdisciplinary performing artist and writer from Los Angeles.  His work explores the relationship between technology and visual/sound art by integrating trombone with electronics and applying visual techniques that include prepared analogue file, video and drawing.  Versed in Jazz, orchestra, Latin, commercial and experimental music, his trombone studio recordings and compositional works can be heard on national and International TV series and films such as Starbucks commercials, Netflix shows Diablero and SWAT and films like How To Be A Latin Lover and Middleman.  Otto also performs as a freelance musician for various artists some of which include or have included Marc Anthony, Juan Gabriel, Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca, Jungle Fire and others.  He has provided trombone and music instruction as a guest artist for LA County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), Jazz America and CECUT Summer music program in Tijuana, Mexico.  He also leads his own independent experimental synth pop group, Kotolan which has been a featured artist on the Los Angeles County Artist roster.
• James King, saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, member of Fitz and the Tantrums. 

  • James King is best known as saxophonist, multi instrumentalist, and co-founding member of multi-platinum Elektra artists Fitz and the Tantrums.  His bari sax playing has been a key part of the LA band’s sound since their inception in 2008, featuring prominently on their radio hits “Out of my League”, “Fool”, “HandClap” and 2013’s alternative smash “The Walker” which he co-wrote.  On stage, his role in the band as multi-instrumentalist encompasses alto and bari sax, flute, guitar, keyboards, percussion and background vocals.  Aside from Fitz and the Tantrums, James has appeared on albums by Ringo Starr, Camila Cabello, Iggy Pop, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Carly Rae Jepsen, Alex Lilly, Maria Del Pilar, Father John Misty, Jimmy Eat World, Queens of the Stone Age. Madlib, De La Soul, Ibrahim Ferrer, Jimmy Cliff, Broadheds, and Gold Cobra.  In 2011 he contributed the widely recognized zeitgeist-capturing sax solo to M83’s platinum hit “Midnight City”.  Other work includes: SpongeBob Squarepants, Tony Bennett, Eddie Vedder, Spoon, Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, The Wailing Souls, Sara Bareilles, Obi Best, Harper Simon, Paul F. Tompkins, and Jeff Goldblum. He has performed on flute and sax with many prominent Latin pop and salsa artists, including Ray Barretto, Adonis Puentes, Joe Bataan, Perico Hernandez and Domingosiete.  He was a longtime member of LA deep funk heroes Breakestra, Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra, and roots reggae collective The Lions.

• Junko Seki, multilingual singer, keyboardist
  • Multilingual singer and keyboardist Junko Seki honed her musical skills early on while growing up in Japan. After finishing a degree in Spanish, she moved to the United States to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Her global curiosity and undeniable sultry voice propelled her onto stages as a solo artist in the mariachi genre, like the Hollywood Bowl with performances in Mexico, Japan and the US. Backed by renown mariachi group Mariachi Cobre and others. She has shared the stage with the likes of Chicano icon Lalo Guerrero, Linda Ronstadt and more. She continues to perform as a salsa and mariachi vocalist with her close network of musician friends.
• Eric Richards, trombonist, composer, conductor, educator
  • Eric Richards is a widely performed composer/arranger, conductor, trombonist and educator active in a wide range of musical media and genres. As a composer who defines himself as a “contemporary American eclectic”, he has written music for groups ranging from rural high school marching bands to chamber music ensembles to nationally recognized big bands and symphony orchestras. Eric’s music has been heard on six continents in performances and recordings by professional and academic 
    ensembles in major concert venues across the United States, Europe, Australia, Asia 
    and India.  Eric is the Music Director and Lead Trombonist with the Bighorn Jazz Orchestra, the 
    professional big band-in-residence at Sheridan College. He also serves as the Principal 
    Director of the Bighorn Jazz Initiative, a 501(c) (3) arts non-profit organization promoting jazz 
    education and performance in the Mountain West.  His music is published by Alfred/Belwin, C.L. Barnhouse, Hal Leonard, iJazzMusic.com, Sheet Music Direct, Sheet Music Plus, University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press, and Eric Richards Music Services.

Concert Tickets

The Jazz Festival Gala Concert featuring the MSUB Jazz Band and a full-size Mambo Orchestra will take place at the MSUB Petro Theatre from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025 (doors open at 6:30 p.m.). Tickets to attend the performance are only $15 and can be purchased at this link. FREE Admission with a valid MSUB ID at the door. If you need help purchasing tickets, please call the Music Department Office at 406-657-2350.

MSU Billings’ past jazz festivals have been very successful with guest artists such as Alex Iles, Bob Bowman, Brennan Baglio, Wayne Bergeron, Katisse Buckingham, Maynard Ferguson, Bill Watrous, Doc Cheatum, George Shearing, Bobby Shew, Nick Mancini, Denis DiBlasio, Eric Richards, Kelly Berdahl, Matt Otto, Darrell Green, Dontae Winslow, Camille Thurman, and Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca. Please join us in making this another educational tradition and a musical mainstay in Montana.

For more information please contact John Roberts.