Mt. SAC Faculty with Guest Artist Alan Pasqua
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DEAN KOBA is a native of Honolulu, Hawaii. He has performed with numerous jazz greats some of which include Benny Bailey, Bud Shank, Jeff Clayton, John Clayton, Bill Cunliffe, Dee Daniels, Walter Norris, Bob Sheppard, Gary Foster, Fareed Haque, Makoto Ozone, Roberta Gamborini, Jackie Ryan and Tamir Hendelman. His tours have taken him all around the United States and Europe. He is featured on numerous recordings with artist including Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Tamir Hendelman, Christoph Luty, The Acoustic Jazz Quartet, The Bayou Brass Band, Brent Jenson and the Greg Reitan Trio.
Dean studied music at Northwestern University (BA) and USC School of Music (MM). He also studied privately with Jeff Hamilton, Joe Labarbera, and Greg Field. He has worked at Disneyland for over twenty years. Dean Koba plays Aquarian Drum Heads, Bosphorus Cymbals, Gretsch Drums, Innovative Sticks and Gibraltar Hardware. Katie Thiroux is a bassist and vocalist of outstanding talent and determination. Coming from a musical family in Los Angeles, she was surrounded by music; beginning with violin lessons at age 4 then switching to the acoustic bass at age 8. While continuing her studies on bass, Katie explored both jazz and classical vocal styles; landing principal roles in the LA Opera and Opera Pacifica by the age of 10. Captivated by an early recording of Lionel Hampton, Katie was driven to pursue her love for jazz and began studying privately with jazz vocalist Tierney Sutton at the age of 12.
In 2005 Thiroux began a mentorship with John Clayton that started at the Vail Jazz Party and later that year she received the Los Angeles Jazz Soceity award, "Shelly Manne New Talent." In 2006 was awarded the Phil Ramone Presidential Scholarship to Berklee College of music which included full tuition and room and board. Upon graduation, Thiroux was asked to teach at the Berklee International School in Ecuador, Quito. She returned to her native Los Angeles and completed a Masters of Jazz Bass from California State University of Long Beach on full scholarship. Having performed at jazz festivals in the United States, Mexico, Germany, Finland, Serbia and Singapore as both a leader and a sideman, Thiroux often incorporates workshops for students and audiences. It is her passionate belief that exposure to jazz history, culture and styles is vital in keeping the music alive and thriving. In addition to work with her quartet Katie has been heard with pianists Larry Fuller, Bill Cunliffe, Geri Allen, Helen Sung, Tamir Hendelman and Eric Reed, trumpeters Brian Lynch and Terrell Stafford, saxophonists Jeff Clayton, Charles McPhearson and Ken Peplowski, guitarists Mundell Lowe and Larry Koonse, drummers Lewis Nash and Jeff Hamilton, and vocalists Niki Harris and Tierney Sutton. Katie’s swinging bass, clear vocals and inspired instrumental arrangements are reflective of her musical idols: Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson, Chet Baker and Anita O’Day. Katie Thiroux’s knowledge, perseverance and fervor for the music make her a rising force in today’s scene.
Pianist and educator Gary Matsumoto has been a mainstay in the Southern California music scene for over two decades. As a regular touring musician, he has shared the stage with such notable names as George Benson, Haley Reinhart, Gordon Goodwin, and Macy Gray. Currently, he can be seen nationally with Grammy Award winning vocalist Steve Tyrell. As an educator, Matsumoto has taught nationally recognized and award winning students in programs including Young Arts, Grammy Band, and Los Angeles’ Music Center Spotlight. He is on faculty at UC Riverside, El Camino College, and Los Angeles College of Music.
Matsumoto started playing piano at the age of 6, but his interest in music began to peak while attending the University of California, Irvine. There, in addition to classical lessons with Dr. Lorna Griffith and Keiko Halop, he studied jazz piano with Kei Akagi. In 1999, he graduated with a B.M. in music performance and in 2002 received his master's degree in jazz studies from the California Institute of the Arts, where he studied with David Roitstein. Much of his early musical development can also be attributed to the variety of great teachers he was exposed to: Charlie Haden, Joe LaBabera, Larry Koonse, Darek Oles, Wadada Leo Smith, and James Newton. Over the course of his career, Matsumoto has strived to keep a well rounded portfolio of work. His first multi state tour was with famed MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer, opening for Cheap Trick. He also worked with film composer Nathan Wang on a variety of projects, including performing in concerts with international pop recording artists Coco Lee, JJ Lin, Vivian Hsu, and Jenny Tseng. Some of his earliest jobs were in musical theatre, where he worked as a pianist and musical director. However, Matsumoto is most well known for his work as a jazz pianist. In 2008, SP records released The Matsumoto Trio - Days Ahead, his first as a leader. It featured Henry “Skipper” Franklin on bass and Tony Austin on drums. As a sideman, he has been featured on over two dozen recordings, most recently with Haley Reinhart, Crystal Lewis, and Dave Damiani. Other recording credits include Bruce Forman, Dave Koz, Renee Olstead, Spencer Day, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., Aubrey Logan, Maiya Sykes, Erin Boheme, and Kate Flannery (from NBC’s the Office). Other live performance credits include Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Jeff Clayton, James Carter, Herman Riley, Tierney Sutton, Jane Monheit, Sara Gazarek, Roy McCurdy, Sam Most, Azar Lawrence, James Tormé, Bobby Rodriguez, Grant Geissman, Keith David, Joe Piscopo, Don Most, Robert Davi, Sal “the Voice” Valentinetti, and Billy Vera. In 2020 he worked along side Steve Tyrell as co-arranger and accompanist for Ben Platt in Father of the Bride Part 3(ish) |
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Joe LoPiccolo is a guitarist and composer whose work is influenced by Classical, Jazz and World Music styles. Writer Dan O'Heron of the Pasadena Weekly states his music is "Soft spoken eloquence, fascinatingly improvised." and "The music is comforting and visual, it takes you to a better place, a paradise found." Guitarist Andrew York, formerly of the Grammy Award winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet states "Having exceptional ability in both classical and jazz genres is very rare; Joe excels in both styles." Andy Ellis, senior editor of Guitar Player magazine stated "LoPiccolo's impeccably executed, imaginative arrangements reveal his mastery of the guitar and its most subtle timbres."
Joe LoPiccolo is a graduate of The California Institute of the Arts, receiving his BFA in Jazz Guitar and his MFA in Guitar Performance. He studied guitar extensively with Larry Koonse and Miroslav Tadic and studied composition and orchestration with Mike Fink and Alan Chaplin. In addition to his BFA and MFA at CalArts he is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music Youth Summer Program. He has continued his education beyond his degrees with masterclasses and workshops with master guitarists Guinga, Paco Serrano and Mick Goodrick.
Joe LoPiccolo is a graduate of The California Institute of the Arts, receiving his BFA in Jazz Guitar and his MFA in Guitar Performance. He studied guitar extensively with Larry Koonse and Miroslav Tadic and studied composition and orchestration with Mike Fink and Alan Chaplin. In addition to his BFA and MFA at CalArts he is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music Youth Summer Program. He has continued his education beyond his degrees with masterclasses and workshops with master guitarists Guinga, Paco Serrano and Mick Goodrick.