about jazzfresno
JazzFresno is a private non-profit 501(c)3 organization with a mission to promote jazz in the Central San Joaquin Valley by building community through education and performance.
Through the building of the wider jazz community we seek to promote appreciation of diversity, cultural understanding and inclusion by highlighting and continuing the values of jazz culture. JazzFresno envisions a Central San Joaquin Valley that appreciates and supports jazz and its values. JazzFresno is made up of members who wish to see the Valley’s jazz scene grow and prosper as a thriving and inclusive community.
our story
Promoting jazz performance and education
JazzFresno was founded back in 2003 by a group of like minded members with a passion for jazz music. They shared a desire to promote jazz music and jazz education in our community. Non-profit status was established and the work of supporting, elevating and spreading America’s unique art form began.
Initially, our target audience began as just anyone who loved jazz. These humble beginnings eventually blossomed to include a concerted effort to build the jazz community by exposing others to the art of jazz. That grew to include educating the public about jazz, jazz history, and the stories of the people who contributed to the legacy of jazz. A keystone of that education effort is the long running Jazz at the Library series.
It also became apparent that it is important to work to expose future generations to jazz music and culture. While at one time school music programs often included jazz ensembles, over the years many of those jazz ensembles/programs ceased to exist. Jazz is no longer the popular music of the day and so it is important that we invest the effort to keep jazz alive for future generations. A few years back we began a more intentional relationship with the youth percussion programs under the We Got The Beat umbrella. These ensembles teach kids from all over the community the diverse music of jazz, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, rock, Latin. In 2011 the Milestones Youth Jazz Workshop was born. A year-round program with a summer camp that was centered around small ensembles that were not and are not really prevalent in the school system. The target students were those who had no access to studying jazz in their schools and those who wanted a more immersive experience. Though that program was closed down during the lockdown, we aspire to bring it back soon.
Another aspect in our effort to spread the music to future generations materialized in our yearly Central Valley Jazz Educators Conference. This all day event was designed to offer continuing education and support to local music educators specifically in jazz subject matter. Eventually we also added the occasional half day workshop focused on getting a Fast Start To Jazz.
Most recently The Jazz Jam, a monthly jam session, started up to replace the two long running jam sessions that had ceased during the pandemic. This provides a live playing environment to help the next generation of jazz artists cut their teeth in public under the mentorship of seasoned pros who are “paying it forward” in honor of those who did the same for them back in the day.
Add to all that the fact that JazzFresno has maintained a Jazz Calendar on its website and on its social media account for the purpose of promoting all things jazz in our community.
our mission
JazzFresno was founded through a passion for jazz music and a desire to sustain and build on the jazz community in the valley. We share a desire to promote jazz music and jazz education and in doing so build community that reflects and celebrates the inherent diversity, inclusion, collaboration and respect that exists in jazz culture; a wonderful model for society at large. JazzFresno works to see the Valley’s jazz scene grow and prosper as a thriving and inclusive community while creating a wider understanding of our diverse and creative heritage embodied in jazz music and culture.
The specific and primary purposes for which JazzFresno was formed are as follows:
To stimulate jazz music appreciation.
To educate the public through lectures and workshops in jazz including the history of the art form and the surrounding culture, its significance and relationships to history.
To enhance the appreciation of technique, history, and other areas of interest concerning the art of jazz.
To highlight the inherent diversity, inclusion, collaboration and respect that exists in jazz culture.
To support jazz musicians.
To provide for student and adult jazz education.
To stage special jazz music events and festivals in the community.
To build a wider jazz community.
To establish and support subordinate and/or affiliated organizations to carry out some or all of the above goals.
on the horizon
JazzFresno has embarked upon a new effort that has resulted in Measure P grant funding to better leverage our position in the community, to sharpen our mission and add some fuel to the effort to be the best we can be for the jazz community and the larger community we seek to engage. Part of that effort has caused us to begin to look closer at our strengths and weaknesses and to try to bring about new ideas and motivation for a healthier organization, and to consider how we might improve and broaden our impact. That includes working harder to bring additional voices to the JazzFresno family. The small volunteer core of JazzFresno can not really expand to take on more without also expanding our ranks internally and via our partnerships in the community. While we have always valued the diverse community that is inherent in jazz, we seek to do a better job of prioritizing diversity and inclusion in our efforts moving forward.
The lockdown reminded us how important community building is to our mission to support jazz and jazz education.
We are always looking to partner with people and organizations with new ideas, experience and enthusiasm. We welcome you to the effort.
board of directors
Joe Lizama was the principal percussionist with the Symphony Orchestra of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro from 1976 – 1978, toured with a Las Vegas show band from 1979 – 1981, was the drummer for singer, Johnny Mathis, from 1981 – 2025 and taught percussion at Fresno City College from 2006 – 2024. He continues to work as a performing professional musician.
Bill Reeve is an Architect and Accessibility Consultant who loves problem solving with creative solutions. Also a guitarist, Bill also enjoys working with kids in music and the visual arts.
Sandy Headrick taught music for 40 years throughout California at the high school through elementary level. She retired in June of 2020 from the Clovis Unified School District.
Les Nunes has been teaching for 30 years and has directed both the Fresno -Madera County and the Tulare-Kings County Honor jazz band. Currently retired, he is the former Director of Jazz Studies at Clovis High and Clark Intermediate in the Clovis Unified School District. Les is one of the busiest trombonists in the San Joaquin Valley.
Jack Landseadel is the sales manager at Patrick’s Music and has been a trombonist for the past 20 years.
Steve Alcalá has been a music educator and Latin Jazz enthusiast for over 40 years. He has been a Latin Jazz DJ on KFSR 90.7 FM for over 20 years and owns 3-2 Music Publishing, selling Latin jazz and salsa sheet music throughout the world. He is the 2023 recipient of the California Arts Council’s “Legacy Award”. He is also the musical director for the Latin JazzFresno Big Band and Rumba 32.
Brenda Myers, a Music Performance degree holder from CSU Fresno (1981), became a skilled percussionist and teacher. Her career included freelancing, orchestra performances, and teaching in Fresno and Clovis Unified School Districts. Inspired by Afro-Cuban and Brazilian drumming, she earned a Masters in West African/Caribbean Music (2006). Founding We Got the Beat Youth Percussion Band in 2000, Brenda’s innovative aural teaching style earned them recognition. They performed at numerous events and adapted to virtual teaching during the pandemic. Now boasting an all-WGTB teaching staff, Brenda’s passion continues to inspire students, leaving a lasting impact on the music community.
Elijah Parr is a music student and guitar player, currently studying to become a music educator.
Richard Lloyd Giddens, Jr. is the Director of Jazz Studies at Fresno State. As a bassist and percussionist, he has performed throughout the world with such artists as Charlie Haden, Wadada Leo Smith, STOMP, Robert Glasper, Mary Halvorson, Larry Goldings, Burning Ghosts, Walter Smith III, Ben Wendel, and many others. Giddens is a Tzadik, and Orenda Records recording artist. His debut album “Mimosas” is out now on Orenda Records along with recent releases from Mathew Yeakley and Burning Ghosts. Project Director for the year-two-grant-cycle of the Latin JazzFresno Big Band.