The Lamont Jazz Orchestra won an invitation to perform at the festival with a first-place finish at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival in March 2018. Photo: Rodney W. Shaw
With two performances to overflow audiences at the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival — and standing ovations from each — the Lamont Jazz Orchestra (LJO) gave notice to the music world in September that DU is home to some of the finest college jazz musicians on the planet.
Made up of 17 undergraduate and graduate students from DU’s Lamont School of Music and directed by multiple Grammy nominee and Lamont faculty member Steve Wiest, the band won an invitation to perform at the festival with a first-place finish at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival in March 2018. Wiest called the invitation analogous to a college football team being invited to play in the Super Bowl.
In its 60-year history, the Monterey Jazz Festival has become a top musical destination. The 61st festival presented more than 500 artists performing nonstop on eight stages for three nights and two days. It featured performances by jazz superstars Dianne Reeves, Norah Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Jon Batiste and many others.
“The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in music. To perform there is to walk among giants,” Wiest said. “The LJO walked right into Monterey and played at an extremely high level, gaining accolades from other students, the national media and high-level jazz artists alike. I simply couldn’t be more proud of their professional demeanor, their musicianship and how they represented DU on the world stage. The future of jazz is in good hands indeed.”