      
|
 
 The Chris Klich Jazz Quintet Check out the calendar page for the Quintet! Check out the Quintet's Christmas CD
The Quintet consists of Chris Klich, sax, clarinet and flute; Ed Kornhauser, piano; Pete Woods, drums; Brian Wright, bass; and Alan Worthington, guitar. Vocalist Laura Preble frequently performs with the group, and is featured extensively on their best-selling album Blue Skies: A Tribute to the Music of the 1940s, as well as their wonderful Christmas album Reflections on Yuletide. In 2002 the quintet was honored to be named the Best Jazz Group in San Diego by the San Diego Union-Tribune Readers. Additionally, in 2001 and 2002 the group was runner-up for Best Jazz Band at the annual San Diego Music Awards, and their 2005 CD Blue Skies was nominated for best jazz album at the Awards in 2006. In addition to their regular performances, both public and private, their three excellent CDs, The First Take (2000), Reflections on Yuletide (2001) and Blue Skies: A Tribute to the Music of the 1940s (2005) are frequently played on San Diego jazz radio station KSDS-FM 88.3. The group's Web site includes performances of the quintet, photos, and MP3 audio clips from both albums. Here is some information about the performers: Chris Klich is a native of San Diego, and has performed professionally for the last 26 years, in our county as well as nationally and internationally. Chris holds both a Bachelor's degree in Music (University of California, San Diego 1983) and a Master's in Jazz Studies degree (San Diego State University, 2005). He was mentored by the great Jimmy Cheatham, and his comprehensive knowledge of jazz theory, technique and history was acquired through studies with Rick Helzer, Bill Yeager and Hal Crook. Now Chris shares that knowledge with the students he teaches in his capacity as an adjunct professor at Grossmont College. Bands Chris has worked with include Tobacco Road, Candye Kane and the Swingin' Armadillos, Harvey and 52nd St. Jive, Wise Monkey Orchestra, The Fabulous Mar Dels, Big Time Operator, The Rhythmmakers, and The Rhythm Method, and the Laura Preble Band. He specializes in sax, clarinet, and flute, and is an accomplished studio musician, having recorded on dozens of performers' albums. In addition to his skill on woodwinds, he also produced the C.Ds. Voices in My Head (1999), by his wife Laura Preble, and the quintet's CDs, The First Take (2000), Reflections on Yuletide (2001), and Blue Skies (2005). Pete Woods is an in-demand drummer for many of San Diego's most popular groups. He studied jazz drumming with Alex Acuña and Hal Crook, and has performed with Ed Shaunessey, Keiko Matsui, Brandon Fields, Harvey and 52nd St. Jive, The Laura Preble Band, Barbara Jamerson, and Will Sumner's Tropic Zone. He also does many private parties with other groups, as well, playing various styles, including jazz, funk, pop and rock. Brian Wright plays more than nearly all bass players on the San Diego music scene. Performing on upright, as well as electric bass, he has been playing for 36 years. Before moving to California, he studied at Michigan State, where he had the opportunity to perform with many great bands that visited the campus. The highlight of his academic career was when he performed with the Count Basie Orchestra. He regularly plays with Hollis Gentry, Carlos X. Pena, the Del Bybee Big Band, and Wayne Foster, and has recorded with Jaime Valle and Alex Acuna. Jaeryoung Lee is an active performer and educator. She has appeared in many different venues from classical to jazz as a pianist, vocalist, sideman, band leader and musical director. As a jazz pianist/vocalist, she has been performing with phenomenal musicians including Peter Sprague, Duncan Moore, Gunner Biggs and Vinny Golia. Jaeryoung holds two Masters degrees: Master of Arts in Piano Pedagogy and Master of Music in Jazz studies. She is currently a member of the music faculty at San Diego State University, Grossmont College and Miracosta College where she teaches courses including Class Piano, Introduction to Music, Basic Musicianship, and World Music. Ed Kornhauser is a brilliant young pianist who has already firmly established a burgeoning career in jazz. Studying under a scholarship funded by the SDSU Foundation, he is in his junior year at San Diego State University, earning a Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies and Jazz Piano Performance. In addition to performing with the Quintet, he is also the featured composer and arranger for San Diego jazz vocalist Tokeli, and performs frequently with the San Diego Concert Jazz Band, the blues rock band Maddox Revolution, and the Big Mo Band, as well as various ensembles at SDSU. Alan Worthington has been playing jazz guitar for over 35 years, in San Diego, primarily, since he moved here in the mid-70's. He has performed with Hollis Gentry and Lynn Willard, and is a lead soloist with the Mesa College Jazz Ensemble. In the early eighties, he toured extensively with the show and jazz group "Wizard," which also included Pete, performing in Lake Tahoe, Reno, and Las Vegas. He owned Gary Music Co. in Pacific Beach from 1984 to 1990, which specialized in serving the jazz musician community with its line of instructional materials and equipment. Through his guitar instruction at the store, he was formative in the careers of many of the up-and-coming young musicians in the San Diego area. Frequent contributor Laura Preble is an outstanding creative artist in many fields. In addition to her incomparable jazz singing, she is a celebrated songwriter whose 1999 CD Voices in My Head has received international airplay. A gifted music theatre actor, she has appeared in the San Diego Repertory Theatre's production of Six Women With Brain Death, and La Posada with the Old Globe, as well as Bandido at Southwestern College. She co-wrote the book and lyrics for Dracul, an opera that was performed at the San Diego Repertory Theater in 1994. Laura's literary career took off in 2006 with the publication of her first novel The Queen Geek Social Club (Penguin Books). The book is now in its second printing, and the second book, Queen Geeks In Love, of the three-book series will be published in October, and several companies are currently bidding for the rights to film the first book. More info about her novels, as well as links to her fan clubs and her blog can all be found at QueenGeekSocialClub.com. Here's some of the clients for whom we've played (many of them use our musical services regularly):
 
Teaching | Jazz Quintet | Quintet Songlist | Photos
|
