Classes, concerts taking place Feb. 11-12 at Princeton High School
Two internationally renowned jazz artists, one a 2011 Grammy nominee, will teach and perform in Princeton Feb. 11 and 12 at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center.
Trumpeters Tim Hagans and Marvin Stamm will participate in the Princeton Jazz Festival, an annual event featuring high school and middle school jazz ensembles from around the state.
Tim Hagans is nominated for a 2011 Grammy award for an original composition entitled “Box of Cannoli” from “The Avatar Sessions” (2010 Fuzzy Music).
In addition to individual concerts by the two guest artists, the festival will feature band competitions and a series of jazz clinics, during which the two performers will share their expertise and provide mentoring to students.
All events are open to the public. Tickets are $10 per evening for adults and $5 per evening for senior citizens and students and are available online at www.princetonjazz.org Ticket holders may attend any or all of each evening’s events.
The jazz clinics will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the band competitions at 6 p.m. On Friday, Mr. Hagans will appear in concert at 9 p.m. On Saturday, Marvin Stamm will perform at 9:30 p.m. The award-winning PHS Studio Band, which played at Carnegie Hall in New York last year and placed first at the Berklee College of Music’s High School Jazz Festival in Boston, will perform with both artists.
“We are fortunate this year to have two enormously talented musicians who are among the most influential voices in jazz today,” said PHS Studio Band Director Joe Bongiovi. “We hope that the public will take advantage of this rare opportunity and come out for two great evenings of entertainment.”
Tim Hagans, who has performed and recorded with jazz greats Thad Jones, Ernie Wilkins and Dexter Gordon, among many others, is best known for his variations on the bebop style of jazz. He was nominated for two previous Grammy awards, both in the Best Contemporary Jazz CD category. Immediately following his Princeton performance he will fly to Los Angeles to attend the 53rd annual Grammy Awards ceremony.
Marvin Stamm has appeared with Frank Sinatra, Woody Herman and Benny Goodman and recorded with jazz greats such as Quincy Jones, Lena Horne and George Benson. He played trumpet on Paul McCartney’s 1971 chart-topper “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.” His involvement in jazz education takes him to universities and high schools across the United States and abroad as a performer, clinician and mentor.
The Princeton Jazz Festival is a fundraiser to help the Princeton High School band program offset the cost of trips and uniforms for students in need and to provide additional musical experiences for the students in the band program.
“The festival continues to be one of the largest jazz education events in New Jersey,” said Mr. Bongiovi. “It provides students with great performance experience and great feedback from some of the best professionals in the field. We hope that this year’s performances will help open students’ eyes to new forms of jazz and provide a great weekend of learning, music and fun.”
The Studio Band has been a Princeton High School institution for 33 years and has a long list of accomplishments. In 2010, The Studio Band was the first high school jazz band invited to perform in a program at Carnegie Hall featuring outstanding high school music programs. In addition to its 2010 wins at Berklee’s High School Jazz Festival and the Heritage Festival in Monterey, Calif., the band was the winner of the 2009 Disney Jazz Festival competition in Florida.

