ABOUT
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY JAZZ
sjvjf: Est. 1989
sjvje: Est. 2023
Ben Allison works the crowd @ sjfjv29
San Joaquin Valley Jazz Mission Statement:
To provide jazz education and performance opportunities to serve the greater San Joaquin Valley.
San Joaquin Valley Jazz Vision Statement:
By working with the community and remaining anchored with our annual school jazz festival, SJVJF will serve students year-round through educational outreach and workshops as well as facilitating performance opportunities. Through fundraising, donations, and grant efforts we hope to offer integration with professional guest artists, to connect the community with experiential growth opportunities, while creating visible pathways to enter the industry. SJVJF aims to keep the evolving tradition of Black American Music alive through fostering student leadership to protect this music’s presence within future generations of the San Joaquin Valley.
The San Joaquin Valley Jazz Festival was founded in 1989 by trumpeter and educator, Paul Shaghoian. After being held at the D&D Ranch in Madera California, it was moved to San Joaquin Memorial High, then Buchanan High School in Clovis, and now Bullard High School in Fresno. After Paul Shaghoian passed away in 2004, Paul Lucckesi became the Festival Director for the next 14 years. The festival is now under the direction of Barb Shinaver.
SJVJF has been anchored since its inception by Fresno based jazz musicians Brian Hamada, Craig Von Berg, and John Lauffenburger as well as a long list of Fresno State alumni including Dale and Larry Engstrom, Rick Helzer, Mike Dana, Meryl Wamhoff and Larry Honda.
During the festival’s 35 years in existence, the Central Valley has seen some of the nation’s top jazz educators, as well as some of the premiere jazz musicians in the world. Such luminaries have included noted jazz educators Larry Sutherland, Gene Aitken, Steve Owen, Vern Sielert, Neil Slater, George Stone, Matt Harris, Jeff Jarvis, Dave Glenn, Dan Gailey, Gary Pratt, Chuck Dotas, Aaron Lington, and James Miley.
The list of performers have been a virtual who’s who of artists from throughout the world and have included Bobby Shew, Frank Mantooth, Jim Snidero, Carl Saunders, Gary Hobbs, Dave Rickenburg, Lanny Morgan, Tim Ries, Michael Davis, Brian Lynch, Peter Epstein, Terell Stafford, Tigran Hamasyan, David Binney, Ben Wendel, Nate Wood, Kaveh Rastegar, Adam Benjamin, Dan Weiss, the Jeff Hamilton Trio, Ben Allison, Nate Smith, Mark Ferber, Donny McCaslin, Josh Nelson, Gilbert Castellanos, John Daversa, Anthony Wilson, Katisse Buckingham, the Alan Ferber Expanded Ensemble and John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble. Recent years have featured the Marshall Gilkes Trio and LA’s Jon Hatamiya Big Band.
The festival moved to the Shaghoian Concert Hall in 2008, evolved into a new format involving both Buchanan High School and the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall for 2020. In 2020 SJVJF grew into an expanded educational format at the Buchanan Educational Center, and for 2024 has relocated to be hosted by Bullard High School while the night concert remains in The Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall.
The hall is a fitting tribute to a man who gave so much to jazz in the Central Valley.
2023 JONATHAN PINSON’S BOOM CLAP
2022 JON HATAMIYA BIG BAND
2021 - COVID BREAK -
2020 MICHAEL DEASE QUARTET
2019 MARSHALL GILKES TRIO
2018 MARK GUILIANA JAZZ QUARTET
2017 BEN ALLISON & THINK FREE
2016 TIM SHAGHOIAN GROUP / WALTER SMITH III
2015 KATISSE
2014 JOSH NELSON DISCOVERIES / ALAN FERBER BIG BAND
2013 JOHN DAVERSA SMALL BAND / DONNY MCCASLIN
2012 GILBERT CASTELLANOS B3 QUARTET / BEN ALLISON TRIO
2011 JEFF HAMILTON TRIO / JOHN HOLLENBECK LARGE ENSEMBLE
2010 KNEEBODY
2009 DAVID BINNEY / TIGRAN HAMASYAN (NEW FORMAT MOVES TO SHAGHOIAN HALL)
2008 TERELL STAFFORD
2007 PETER EPSTEIN
2006 BRIAN LYNCH
2005 MICHAEL DAVIS
2004 TIM RIES