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The festival is proud to present an evening concert after the conclusion of the daytime events.
A festival button is required for admission to all events, including both evening concerts.
The festival is proud to present an evening concert after the conclusion of the daytime events.
A festival button is required for admission to all events, including both evening concerts.
The Friday night concert also requires a special ticket.
The Friday night concert also requires a special ticket.
7 PM Friday Concert – Separate Tickets Required
If you paid for concert tickets for Friday night, those have been set aside for you and you will be able to pick those up with your registration packets when you check-in at Festival Headquarters.
Ulysses Owens Jr.
Ulysses Owens Jr.
Grammy Award-winning drummer, percussionist, composer, and bandleader Ulysses Owens Jr. brings extraordinary energy, artistry, and musicianship to the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival as this year’s featured performer.
A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Owens began playing drums at just three years old, developing his musical foundation in the church before discovering his passion for jazz as a teenager. His talent earned him a full scholarship to The Juilliard School, where he was part of the school’s inaugural jazz program.
Owens has since established himself as one of the most dynamic drummers of his generation. He performed on Kurt Elling’s Grammy Award-winning Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman and Christian McBride’s Grammy Award-winning The Good Feeling. His impressive career has also included performances and collaborations with acclaimed artists including Joey Alexander.
Beyond the drum kit, Owens is an accomplished composer, educator, and advocate for the next generation of jazz musicians. His composition The Simplicity of Life was commissioned by the string quartet ETHEL for its multimedia production ETHEL’s Documerica.
With his powerful musicianship, infectious energy, and deep commitment to jazz, Ulysses Owens Jr. is an exciting addition to the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival stage — and a featured performance you won’t want to miss.
6:30 PM Saturday - Command Performance Concert
The festival presents the best groups from daytime events in an encore performance. A Festival Button is needed to attend.
Bands: To qualify for the Command Performance Concert, a participating band must earn a unanimous superior rating. A unanimous superior is defined as all 1’s from each performance judge, plus a 1 from the sight-reading judge.
Vocal groups: To qualify, a participating band must earn a unanimous superior rating, all 1’s, from each performance judge.
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