Hi Everyone,

I hope everything is going well for you. With all the bad things happening around the world I find that we need arts and music a lot more these days.
That said...I'll try to play my part. 

New things coming up:

MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL CLINICS
On November 8-9, I'll be working with Kenyon Brenner, Mike Conrad, and Shawn Williams at the Thompson School District's Jazz Retreat in Loveland, Colorado. We'll be working with middle/high school students' big bands for two days. Super exciting!

SGLJO AT JEN 2018
The SGLJO is playing a concert at the Jazz Education Network Conference 2018, in Dallas, TX. Always exciting and fun to conduct my music with this incredible group of musicians. I have a new piece that will be premiered at this concert. The band for this concert is:

Saxes: 
Dave Pietro
Adam Blakey
Don Aliquo
Kenyon Brenner
Ryan Middagh

Trumpets:
Brad Goode
Ron Parton
Jeff Jarvis
Clay Jenkins

Trombones:
Mike Conrad
Paul McKee
David Caffey
John Matthews

Rhythm Section:
Dana Landry - Piano
Erik Applegate - Bass
Steve Kovalcheck - Guitar 

Helen de la Rosa - Drum Set
Pablito Peña - Percussion
Daniel Berroa - Percussion 

CONCERT AT VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
After this concert, I'm conducting a concert with the Blair Big Band and giving a clinic at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Thanks Dr. Ryan Middagh for having me there. We are also playing a new piece, commissioned for this occasion. More details to come.

ARTICLE ON HARMONIZING MELODIES
Part one of my article "Natural Harmonization" came out this month on Jazz Education Network online: https://jazzednet.org/resources/natural-harmonization-part/
This article offers the basics of one of the ways I use to harmonize definitive/functional melodies. This is a process I adapted from what I learned from the great Dick Grove (www.dickgrove.com)

Part two, coming in a few days, will apply these concepts to an actual melody.

I hope this series of articles will help you develop your own process to harmonizing melodies and creating more music.
Thanks to Steve Nigohosian for the opportunity to share this process.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any question,

Blessings and peace to all,
SG