FULL SCHEDULE
MEET THE BANDS
Rebirth Brass Band
GRAMMY-AWARD WINNING HEADLINER
SATURDAY 6:00 PM
“ Just saw THE REBIRTH BRASS BAND, unbelievable. hard as hell, free as a ray of light, there is not a band on Earth that is better. Stunning.” - Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers
For almost 4 decades, the Grammy winning Rebirth Brass Band has been “stunning” fans with a fiery live show and a rich musical catalog. Their trademark sound pays homage to the New Orleans brass band tradition while weaving a tapestry that combines elements of jazz, funk, soul, R&B and the sounds from the streets they grew up on. From their legendary 25+ year run of Tuesday nights at the Maple Leaf to stages all over the world, Rebirth is the soundtrack of the Crescent City and her premier musical ambassador.
Founded by brothers Phil and Keith Frazier over 35 years ago, Rebirth began their career playing on the sidewalks of the French Quarter, and quickly landed gigs at second line parades. Those auspicious beginnings have led to thousands of shows to music aficionados everywhere, including heads of state and royalty.
The bands unique “soundtrack of New Orleans” has also garnered admiration from artists of all genres. They’ve shared the stage and collaborated with everyone from the Grateful Dead to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Maceo Parker, Green Day, U2, James Brown, 311, G-Love, MuteMath, Juvenile, Train, Big Freedia, Ani Difranco, Galactic, Allen Touisant, Neville Brothers, Quincy Jones and Trombone Shorty.
Euphoria Brass Band
SAN DIEGO’S ORIGINAL BRASS BAND
SATURDAY 5:00PM + SUNDAY 11:00 AM
Euphoria is an acclaimed and award-winning San Diego based musical collective that serves up a contemporary mix of old school New Orleans traditional brass band jazz, funky street beats and new school edginess with a West Coast feeling!
EBB was created in 2011 by two New Orleans transplants, Ron Bocian and David Bandrowski and local jazz radio DJ, Drew Miller. They quickly assembled a top notch, hard-hitting horn section: Steve Ebner (trumpet), April West (trombone), David Jackson (tenor sax), JP Balmat (baritone & alto sax, clarinet) and Wayne Rice (sousaphone). Euphoria Brass Band is proud to have been nominated 5 years in a row for various San Diego Music Awards since their inception in 2011!
Embracing the exciting spirit of improvisation with a hard funk edge, Euphoria Brass Band has become known for their incendiary high energy shows…. guaranteed to get a crowd smiling, dancing and having a good time. EBB always leaves ‘em wanting more!
The 524
SATURDAY 3:00 PM
Based out of San Diego, The 524 is a 9-piece brass band that promises electric vibes and irrepressible dancing. Both steeped in tradition and committed to cultivating original sounds, they take influences from the likes of No BS! Brass, Cut Capers, and James Brown to provide you a show you won’t soon forget.
Starsign
SATURDAY 4:00 PM
Starsign is a 10-piece progressive jazz-funk-fusion group from San Diego, California. They have taken influence from Snarky Puppy, Steely Dan, FORQ, and Rush, and blended it into a multi-genre, multi-regional, and multicultural blend that can only be described as “Starsign.” With an award-winning funk guitarist, a pianist straight from the Miami Latin and techno music scene, a drummer steeped in metal tradition, and a whole section of horns who have studied all jazz from Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock, Starsign effortlessly blends genres from every corner of the country into a unique and incredible vibe that can’t be heard anywhere else.
SATURDAY 1:00 PM + SUNDAY 1:00 PM
Jazz Evensong Quintet
The Evensong Jazz Quintet is comprised of Gunnar Biggs (Bass), Keith Bishop (Saxophones and Woodwinds), Joey Carano (Guitar), Leonard Thompson (Piano), and Bob Weller (Drums and Piano). Members of the group have a wide range of experience, performing with a wide range of world renown jazz artists, teaching at major universities, and authoring books and compositions.
The group is currently in its fifth year presenting free jazz concerts every Sunday at 4:00pm at St. Michael’s by the Sea in Carlsbad, California, with brief interludes of plainsong chant delivered by Fr. Doran Stambaugh in a totally unique style with improvised jazz accompaniment. Each week they present the music of a different jazz composer, and can be heard on the Jazz Legends podcast, discussing that week’s featured composer and trading personal anecdotes.
Steph Johnson Band
SUNDAY 12:00 PM
Steph Johnson is an award-winning, multi-dimensional recording artist and activist whose music deftly blends jazz, soul, funk and blues. Through her 20-year music career, Steph has recorded five studio albums.
Her latest album "So In Love", is a collection of Johnson's favorite jazz standards and ballads. The 10-track record features pianist Josh Nelson (Natalie Cole), guitarist Anthony Wilson (Diana Krall), trumpeter Chris Lawrence, bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Richard Sellers.
Steph Johnson’s social activism and the formation of the Voices of Our City Choir, was featured in the 2018 award-winning documentary The Homeless Chorus Speaks, which aired on PBS.
Her tireless dedication to her craft and the unsheltered community has earned her well- deserved recognitions, including 2020 “Woman of the Year”, a finalist for San Diego Magazine’s 2022 Activist of the Year, as well as “California Arts Champion” by Californians for the Arts, exemplifying Steph’s profound impact on the arts and society at large.
1st Marine Division Band
SATURDAY 2:00 PM
Marine Corps Fleet Bands like Camp Pendleton’s 1st Marine Division Band perform at ceremonies, parades, festivals, professional sporting events, concerts, and other public events across the United States and around the world. Marine Corps Fleet Bands entertain and educate their audiences; inspire patriotism and represent American values through music; and represent the discipline and professionalism of the Marine Corps itself.
On July 4th of this year, U.S. Marines from the 1st Marine Division Band marched down Disneyland’s Main Street in Anaheim, California. The 1st MARDIV Band was featured in several parades and stationary performances during the park’s annual Independence Day celebration.
Zzymzzy Quartet
SATURDAY 1:00 PM
The guys from the Zzymzzy Quartet have simple ambitions: they just want to play it like it was when it was unamplified, melodic, swinging, dreamy, full of sly surprise. From the Prohibition through the Second Big War, the glory days of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are being recaptured humbly and with humor in San Diego by four musicians who know it don’t mean a thing without that swing: Beston Barnett, Matt Gill, Paul Hormick, and Pete Miesner.
The Zzymzzy Quartet takes its name from a hypothetical “last word” in the dictionary: thus, their tagline, “The Last Word in Gypsy Swing.” The “Gypsy” sound is heard in much of the guitar work, heavily influenced by the stylings of French Gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt, but the group also pays tribute to the Swing Era with classic standards and idiomatic originals. Since the Zzymzzy Quartet came together in 2004, they’ve played events throughout Southern California to unanimous enthusiasm, carving out a name for themselves as a tasty dance band and a classy addition to every wedding. In 2017, ART HURTS Records released their second CD, Petite Fleur which, on top of inspired playing and elegant arrangements, features cameos from a variety of beloved San Diego musicians.
Kainga Music
SATURDAY 11:00 AM
Kainga Music was established in 2014 with this mission: Creating Music, Uniting People, Building Communities. The featured instrument, the steel pan, is played throughout its country of origin, Trinidad & Tobago, in community centers called “Panyards” that welcome members in the surrounding neighborhoods to find a common place and common voice. Kainga Music’s Founder, Keli Ross-Ma’u, has a vision for the school to be modeled more like a Panyard. Keli chose the word “Kainga” from his Tongan heritage, which means “extended family,” to help embody the intention of community-building as the core goal of Kainga Music. The music school has a focus on learning and performance of music as an extension and expression of that shared bonding experience between the students and audience members alike.
Atkinson Warrior Band
SATURDAY 10:30 AM
The Atkinson Warrior Band is an integral part of the history and tradition of the Army and Navy Academy going back over 100 years. The band members consist of about 50 musician Cadets of all levels of experience. Both the High School and Advanced Bands perform together during concerts and parades throughout the year.