Testimonials
Matt Sosa: I was a student in the program from Fall 2020 to Spring 2022. I am now finishing my MA in philosophy at Stanford University and applying for PhD programs in philosophy. I transferred to Stanford after Mt. SAC and have had the opportunity to study music under Joshua Redman and Mark Applebaum and play in combos. I learned a lot of important music and life lessons at the Mt. SAC Jazz Program which I have leveraged all throughout my undergraduate and graduate education since. Professors and mentors like Jeff are very few and far between, and I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to be his student. Indeed, everyone in my cohort agreed (and still agree) that Jeff was quite literally the life of jazz at Mt. SAC and an invaluable mentor.
Jeff made sure that everybody learned the music, played the music, and thought about the music. Most importantly, he made sure we always did this in an honest and straightforward way---if the stuff sucked, then the stuff sucked, and he would make sure you yourself recognize this. Nonetheless, for the motivated students who were there to learn and get better, Jeff showed how to do this, plain and simple, honest and straight. Having worked with many professors and mentors in my academic and musical career so far, I will say with confidence that Jeff is the kind of person you want if you're serious about music and serious about improving and that this kind of person is very rare.
Most of my friends from the two years in Mt. SAC jazz improved A LOT under Jeff's mentorship. Some of them went from jazz newbies to playing in their university bands after they have transferred; others went from aspiring jazz musicians with goals of becoming full-fledged working musicians that they were serious about to working musicians studying music at a university. I am sure anyone who saw Fall 2020 jazz at Mt. SAC and Spring 2022 jazz at Mt. SAC would attest to this, for the difference is extremely clear: we started at the front of the COVID pandemic with barely enough students for a combo, most of whom were new to jazz, and ended up with a sizable combo with students who were passionate about the music, improving rapidly, and invested in each other's growth. Jeff, given a ship in utter disrepair with a crew of impressionable, fresh sailors, managed to complete the journey with a strong and impressive ship manned a crew that was capable of helping each other out.
In the two years I was there, my peers and I developed deep friendships with each other and took each other in as family. Whenever at a jam and we learn that you were also a student of Jeff's, we immediately bond and realize an important respect for the music and attitude of joint commitment towards making music that we share. I have only experienced this kind of kinship and brotherhood (and sisterhood) with music programs led by impactful and passionate mentors such as Jeff. In this way, jazz at Mt. SAC wasn't just musically important for everyone---it was also personally important.
I have been speaking just about Jeff, and you might notice that all of this reads like an mourning obituary because of it. The reason for this is clear: Jeff was really the only one running the jazz program. Who ran combos? --- Jeff. Who taught all the saxophonists? --- Jeff. Who recruited students at high schools? --- Jeff. Who helped everyone get in contact with their individual instructors? --- Jeff. Who organized jazz festivals at Mt. SAC? --- Jeff. Who helped prepare pedagogical materials for the students? --- Jeff. Who entered us into competitions and organized opportunities for combos to play at other colleges and universities? --- Jeff. Who taught jazz history classes while doing everything else? --- Jeff. Who was there for us when life got dark for us and himself --- Jeff. To put the point concisely: Jeff was the life of the program. And though there might have been others involved behind the scenes, there is no question about Jeff's force in the program. Jeff practically WAS the program. This is why all I have been talking about is Jeff.
Of the many lessons I learned during my time, I will note the three that have helped me succeed in my pursuits so far. (1) Reasonable humility is imperative for learning from not just mentors but peers as well. (2) Being self-critical is good and necessary but managing it is key. (3) Jazz is hard and sometimes frustrating so it is okay to feel behind or less capable than others. If I hadn't learned these things from the jazz program and Jeff, then I doubt I would have been able to get to where I am at now.
I want to end by recounting an important moment of my peers and I's time at Mt. SAC jazz. We just finished competing in the college division of the Upland Jazz Festival and the combo and I stayed for the awards session of the festival where they announced the winners. I've done this a million times already in high school, so I took more of a notice in my peers' excitement and interest than my own. None of us were expecting to win over Riverside Community College, our main competitor, so when the announcer began naming third, second, and first place, our hope was just for second. But, when second place was announced and it wasn't us, everyone jumped, mouths agape, sudden bursts of "oh my god", "what?", "no way!". And then they announced it---Mt. SAC won first place, and we were all ecstatic. I will never forget that moment. All of my friends and I were celebrating, cheering, and laughing. Of course, this was no big competition, this was no Downbeat competition, but there really was something to be proud of: we started with people who didn't know how to keep the form of a song, then we got our stuff together, and then we won. Quite a remarkable feat if I do say so myself.
Jeff made sure that everybody learned the music, played the music, and thought about the music. Most importantly, he made sure we always did this in an honest and straightforward way---if the stuff sucked, then the stuff sucked, and he would make sure you yourself recognize this. Nonetheless, for the motivated students who were there to learn and get better, Jeff showed how to do this, plain and simple, honest and straight. Having worked with many professors and mentors in my academic and musical career so far, I will say with confidence that Jeff is the kind of person you want if you're serious about music and serious about improving and that this kind of person is very rare.
Most of my friends from the two years in Mt. SAC jazz improved A LOT under Jeff's mentorship. Some of them went from jazz newbies to playing in their university bands after they have transferred; others went from aspiring jazz musicians with goals of becoming full-fledged working musicians that they were serious about to working musicians studying music at a university. I am sure anyone who saw Fall 2020 jazz at Mt. SAC and Spring 2022 jazz at Mt. SAC would attest to this, for the difference is extremely clear: we started at the front of the COVID pandemic with barely enough students for a combo, most of whom were new to jazz, and ended up with a sizable combo with students who were passionate about the music, improving rapidly, and invested in each other's growth. Jeff, given a ship in utter disrepair with a crew of impressionable, fresh sailors, managed to complete the journey with a strong and impressive ship manned a crew that was capable of helping each other out.
In the two years I was there, my peers and I developed deep friendships with each other and took each other in as family. Whenever at a jam and we learn that you were also a student of Jeff's, we immediately bond and realize an important respect for the music and attitude of joint commitment towards making music that we share. I have only experienced this kind of kinship and brotherhood (and sisterhood) with music programs led by impactful and passionate mentors such as Jeff. In this way, jazz at Mt. SAC wasn't just musically important for everyone---it was also personally important.
I have been speaking just about Jeff, and you might notice that all of this reads like an mourning obituary because of it. The reason for this is clear: Jeff was really the only one running the jazz program. Who ran combos? --- Jeff. Who taught all the saxophonists? --- Jeff. Who recruited students at high schools? --- Jeff. Who helped everyone get in contact with their individual instructors? --- Jeff. Who organized jazz festivals at Mt. SAC? --- Jeff. Who helped prepare pedagogical materials for the students? --- Jeff. Who entered us into competitions and organized opportunities for combos to play at other colleges and universities? --- Jeff. Who taught jazz history classes while doing everything else? --- Jeff. Who was there for us when life got dark for us and himself --- Jeff. To put the point concisely: Jeff was the life of the program. And though there might have been others involved behind the scenes, there is no question about Jeff's force in the program. Jeff practically WAS the program. This is why all I have been talking about is Jeff.
Of the many lessons I learned during my time, I will note the three that have helped me succeed in my pursuits so far. (1) Reasonable humility is imperative for learning from not just mentors but peers as well. (2) Being self-critical is good and necessary but managing it is key. (3) Jazz is hard and sometimes frustrating so it is okay to feel behind or less capable than others. If I hadn't learned these things from the jazz program and Jeff, then I doubt I would have been able to get to where I am at now.
I want to end by recounting an important moment of my peers and I's time at Mt. SAC jazz. We just finished competing in the college division of the Upland Jazz Festival and the combo and I stayed for the awards session of the festival where they announced the winners. I've done this a million times already in high school, so I took more of a notice in my peers' excitement and interest than my own. None of us were expecting to win over Riverside Community College, our main competitor, so when the announcer began naming third, second, and first place, our hope was just for second. But, when second place was announced and it wasn't us, everyone jumped, mouths agape, sudden bursts of "oh my god", "what?", "no way!". And then they announced it---Mt. SAC won first place, and we were all ecstatic. I will never forget that moment. All of my friends and I were celebrating, cheering, and laughing. Of course, this was no big competition, this was no Downbeat competition, but there really was something to be proud of: we started with people who didn't know how to keep the form of a song, then we got our stuff together, and then we won. Quite a remarkable feat if I do say so myself.
Derrick Nuno: I was in the Jazz Program from Fall 2014 to Spring 2018. I am currently a Band Director at Upland High School in Upland, CA. The Mt. SAC Jazz Program taught be to be a real musician. Jeff always pushed us to be professional not only in the way we rehearsed and performed but also in the way we carried ourselves in the music community. I utilize some of the same techniques that I learned in the Mt SAC Jazz Program with my current Jazz student. I can never thank Jeff Elwood enough for giving me a chance to play in his band. I was his lead trombone for those 4 years.
Kyle Martinez: Mt. SAC Jazz 2010-2012, full time band director Ayala High School.
Jeff was a huge help when he came in to my school’s jazz rehearsals. My students left class with a wealth of knowledge from Jeff when he came in to help refine pieces for festival season, develop jazz improvisation among the big band, and help the saxophone section hone their instrumental idiosyncrasies. Jeff created a festival at Mt. SAC in which students and directors could both learn from equally and had some of the best musicians helping him along the way with instrument specific clinics and rhythm section resources. He has been a huge resource for me in understanding how to shape the sound of my band, picking tunes, teaching improvisation and rhythm section as a horn player.
I regard my time with Mt. SAC Jazz as some of the best times of life. I was given the freedom to develop into a lead trumpet player in the big band and the tunes we played were unforgettable. I was lucky enough to take a few improvisation classes there which kick started my ability to improvise. The jazz festivals were always fun to help with. There was a strong sense of community in the band and that made the experience even better. We won the Reno Jazz Festival a few times but the experience of going was just as great or even better than the result of the competition. I could go on and on but this is just a snapshot of my experience with Mt. SAC Jazz. Thanks Jeff!
Jeff was a huge help when he came in to my school’s jazz rehearsals. My students left class with a wealth of knowledge from Jeff when he came in to help refine pieces for festival season, develop jazz improvisation among the big band, and help the saxophone section hone their instrumental idiosyncrasies. Jeff created a festival at Mt. SAC in which students and directors could both learn from equally and had some of the best musicians helping him along the way with instrument specific clinics and rhythm section resources. He has been a huge resource for me in understanding how to shape the sound of my band, picking tunes, teaching improvisation and rhythm section as a horn player.
I regard my time with Mt. SAC Jazz as some of the best times of life. I was given the freedom to develop into a lead trumpet player in the big band and the tunes we played were unforgettable. I was lucky enough to take a few improvisation classes there which kick started my ability to improvise. The jazz festivals were always fun to help with. There was a strong sense of community in the band and that made the experience even better. We won the Reno Jazz Festival a few times but the experience of going was just as great or even better than the result of the competition. I could go on and on but this is just a snapshot of my experience with Mt. SAC Jazz. Thanks Jeff!
Nick Mosley: I was in Jeff’s jazz program as a music major from Fall 2017 through Spring of 2020 when school got cancelled (covid). I’m currently working alongside the maintenance and engineering department at UPS and doing well. I am still currently attending Mt Sac, but changed majors and now working on my CNET degree. From day one starting in the Mt Sac program, I knew that Jeff was a very serious educator and that his band was excellent. Coming from an already decent program at Upland High under Mark Capalbo, it was clear that this group was a massive step up, but also slightly familiar. I knew that Jeff would go to tremendous lengths to assist the local high school directors to help supply new music to play as well as to assist with lessons or advice when needed. His work trickled down in the community that is rare to see these days and his passion was always on display. Being in his band was always a pleasure even on the toughest of days, and it was always clear to see that the criticism given from Jeff always came from a place of encouragement and desire to see improvement. His music selections were always expansive and fresh, I never played a tune more than once and he always shared fresh music with us and founded a personal life-long love for jazz and big band. On a personal level as well, having a director as proficient in their instrument as Jeff is a blessing to players to simply witness on a daily basis. Jeff’s experience and commitment to his art was like getting a concert on a daily basis, and it doesn’t take long to see and hear the full range of his capabilities. Overall my time in his program was nothing but enjoying, creating life long memories and interests along the way. Jeff moving on from this program is a massive loss for not just Mt Sac, but for the community as a whole. I’d like to give Jeff my thanks for multiple great years and I wish nothing but the best for him in the future.
Matthew Esqueda: I was in your jazz program between 2021 to 2024. Now I’m a frequently gigging jazz pianist/organ player and am attending Cal State Fullerton on a scholarship for jazz performance. I also now am in charge of a jazz collective named railside combo which gigs every week. My first ever exposure to music as a whole started at Mt. Sac. I didn’t know how to read music, rhythms, or play an instrument. I started in the lab band where a very talented Dr. Marcus taught me from the ground up the tools I would need to survive in a jazz setting. Thinking that I then knew it all I tried out for Jeff’s band and was rejected the first time I tried out. But not before receiving information and instruction that would change the way I played for the better. His ability to be honest with me really opened my eyes to what I needed to do to be a competent jazz piano player. The second time around I would successfully make Jeff’s band, where for over a year I’d learn both essential fundamentals and concepts that I now see are rarely touched upon but extremely useful when it comes to both playing and understanding jazz. Under his and the private instructor’s guidance, I would later come to enroll at Cal state Fullerton under a scholar where I continue to learn and grow as a musician.
Mali Guillen: I was in the program from Fall 2020 to Spring 2022. I am graduating this Fall semester from Cal State Fullerton, with a B.M in Jazz and Commercial Music. I am currently teaching and working an internship at a recording studio in Long Beach. The experiences I’ve had at Mt. Sac have been the best years of my college career. The things we learned in combo were so valuable. We went through so much in each semester, and if truly felt like the whole band grew together as we went played together throughout the school year. These words of advice and guidance given from Jeff are things that I continue to take with me as I grow as a musician.
Tim Talavera: I’m currently wrapping up my 14th year on the East Coast playing and teaching music. Jeff geared me up for my transition to Berklee College of Music where I got my Bachelors Degree and my eventual move to NYC where I received a Masters in Jazz Studies from NYU. I write and play in a group called Imaginary Tricks that plays all over NYC, as we gear up to track for our newest record in early 2025. I’m also the East Coast Area Director of a national non profit music program called Notes for Notes that provides youth free music instruction, mentoring and studio time all across the country. I was lucky to have Jeff as an instructor during such a pivotal time in my music journey. Along with the musicians around me it was a true awakening when Jeff started teaching at Mt SAC, nothing got passed him and his expectations of you were high. He brought in top notch jazz drummers to help teach us and they threw me through the wringer from transcriptions to sight reading charts daily. Alan Pasqua’s The Anti Social Club, David Hollands Critical Mass, SPES and Live at The Plugged Nickel is still in the rotation. Cheers to Jeff!
Manny Barajas: When I started at Mt Sac in 2016, I was a freshman straight out of high school. Here in the end of 2024, I'm now finishing my last semester of undergrad at CSUF and have been consistently playing professionally for the past two years. When I started at Mt Sac, I knew very little about music theory or how to play my instrument, and even less about jazz and how to effectively play with others. In my time at college, I was fortunate to learn from some of the finest educators I've had the pleasure of meeting, and although the process was long and arduous, within my three-year tenure in the jazz program, I slowly transitioned from a complete novice to a relatively competent, self-sufficient, intermediate jazz student. My experience under the direction of Marcus, Austin, and Jeff helped me to grasp basic habits of studying and playing music that I am thankful to have all these years later: discipline, patience, perseverance, and humility, just to name a few. I feel that the tough-love environment was fun and engaging to be a part of, always a necessary balance of encouragement and constructive criticism to push students like myself to grow. Through the program, I met other young musicians in the bands who are now some of my closest friends, and being an alumnus of this program has helped me connect with other alumni out in the professional world to secure new opportunities. Looking back, I feel I owe a great debt to Jeff and all the faculty in the jazz program for seeing the young, clueless kid that I was and still believing in me and giving me a chance, despite the pedagogical challenge I must have posed. Their investment in and guidance of my younger self have better equipped me in the present day to navigate this difficult discipline and build a career to last the rest of my life. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in me. Thanks Jeff for all you did for us!
Tama Shutts: I'm so grateful for the time that I spent with you as my director. I think that you, more than any other educator I've had, has been able to inspire me to feel the music more authentically and understand more about creative expression. While so much of music is cerebral and intellectual, the things which I truly got from working with you had more to do about passion and deep feeling than anything else. You were able to enrich far more about who I am than what I could do, and for that I'm really grateful. Congratulations on a long and accomplished run. Mt. SAC was not the same before you, and It certainly won't be the same without you.
Ryan Maidment: 2016-2017. I'm currently attending Cal Poly Pomona to earn my teaching credential for music education. Graduated with my B.A. in music education (pre-credential) in spring of 2023. The ensemble experience I received as a member of the Mt. SAC Jazz Program was instrumental in shaping my abilities as a performer and helped me become a greater player and listener. I was taught so much in regards to blending, listening and responding, and how to maintain a very strong sense of pulse and time internally within an ensemble
Mike Enriquez: I learned so much from Jeff and the rest of the faculty. I learned how to take care of business and to always be prepared and reliable. I learned how to be a committed artist with a voice and something to say- how to play with a message and an intention. I learned how to listen and improvise. Now I lead drum circles with my company -SoCalDrumParty.com with a focus on early childhood education and special needs kids and adults. My training in jazz laid the groundwork for me to improvise with different populations. In jazz you hear a soloist play and you think "What can I play that will make them sound good?". "How do I lift them up?" This is the same question I ask myself with many of my clients. How can I play with them and make something that makes sense? How can we make music together? My improvising training is at the core of what I do now, thanks to Jeff and my many other amazing teachers at MtSac and elsewhere. THANKS JEFF
Tucker Hartwig: I am now a Flight Instructor and pursuing aviation full time in Orange County. My experience in the Mt. SAC Jazz Band under Jeff was a challenging yet incredible experience. Whether it be traveling to play at high levels with other big bands in competition or simply jamming with the band on a weekday. While I played jazz all through high school, I feel like I didn’t learn what true jazz was until my time with Jeff. Even when joining another collegiate jazz band after Mt. SAC, I never played at the same level or with a band with the talent that I did during my time under Jeff. Movies like whiplash are overdramatized and not very accurate, but they do help depict the high standard of excellence and attention to detail that is required to be a successful jazz musician. This high expectation, and also a deep understanding for the improvisational and historic aspects of jazz were ingrained in Jeff’s instruction. When his teaching was stern, it was because he was trying to hold his students to a higher level that he knew they could play at while also preserving the soul of the jazz charts we played. We got to play many unique charts that Jeff acquired, and the class was always fun, new and challenging. Jeff would occasionally play along with us or demonstrate something with his own sax. While I only played trombone in Mt. SAC’s jazz band for 2 years, I think of that time fondly. I am grateful for the added appreciation for music and jazz that I learned under Jeff.
Niko Kefalas: I'm now working as a wildland firefighter in the US Forest Service since May of 2024. Being able to participate in the jazz band under Jeff was the highlight of my three years at Mt. SAC. It was difficult at times and required high discipline, but that was because he knew what we were capable of and wanted the best for us and from us. Plus it felt good to be good. I remember the commraderie I had with my section and even the band as a whole; it was more than just another class in my schedule. I remember the cool stuff we did, like submitting recordings to Downbeat, and traveling to the Reno Jazz Festival. I look back at those three years fondly and I appreciate Jeff for that.
Chris Stevens (Director, Long Beach Poly): Jeff thank you for your many years of generous contributions to Poly and the entire jazz community, in multiple forms from live clinics to written materials, and especially during Covid on Zoom when the going was the toughest you were there. I will always be appreciative! Chris Stevens
Paul Escalera: It challenged me to be my absolute best. I learned a lot from Jeff on what kind of person I was and who I wanted to be. We were pushed every rehearsal to bring out our passion individually and as an ensemble. If I were afforded the chance to relive my time in the program, I would in a heartbeat. Thank you for everything you've given to myself and the countless students/musicians you've taught over the years. I wouldn't be who I am today without your direction.
Jacob Leon: Jacob Leon 2016-2018; now received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from CSUSB. I regularly speak of how influential my time with the Mt. SAC Jazz Program was on me as a musician and as a person. Jeff held us to high standards, always pressing us to be the best we could be as jazz musicians, and shared his deep knowledge of the topic through the history of jazz he shared and the language he had learned over time.
Ivan Perez: I was in the jazz program back from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 on the trombone. I won 2 Reno Jazz festivals with your group back in 2011 and 2012. I am living in the Bay Area in the city of San Jose, CA and currently I am doing tech sales as a Sr account executive with AT&T. I just recently got back into playing trombone this past year and currently play Jazz, Salsa and Symphonic band music up in the South Bay and Santa Cruz Area. My time with the Mt San Antonio Jazz program was incredible. The music Jeff chose for us to play was always challenging and it pushed me to be on point with my playing as well as gave me the opportunity to play in a high level environment that to be honest was even more challenging that my time at Cal State Long Beach. Jeff taught me how to play with emotion and passion which helped me connect to the music and helped develop my life long love for the Jazz idiom and passionate playing.
Amie Ma: I was in the Latin Jazz Band from 2008-2010. I am currently a middle school band and orchestra director. I was lucky to have had the opportunity to play clarinet/bass clarinet in the Latin Jazz Band. It was so much fun, and I got to experience playing a variety of styles besides Latin jazz music. We played challenging music and we students grew from that experience. Jeff was passionate about the music he gave us to sight-read and that made us excited about the music too. He had excellent taste in the choice of music we learned so we were always engaged musically. We played music from Count Basie to Jeff Jarvis. He worked with us on improving our rhythmic accuracy, articulation, phrasing, blending, and intonation in the jazz band setting. I always felt like I was improving as a musician after every rehearsal, and I was always looking forward to going to Latin jazz band rehearsal. Jeff always made space for everyone to try to improvise on their instrument and always gave us guidance on how to get to the next level. He was very open-minded musically and allowed us to explore different sounds and registers on our instrument that may not have been considered conventional. Not only was it educational, but it permitted us to use it as an outlet for expression. Thank you Jeff for everything! <3
Emmanuel Del Muro: I was in the Jazz Ensemble from the Fall of 2017 all the way to the Spring of 2019. I am currently a Studio Technician at Westlake Recording Studios. I thought the Jazz Program was exceptional and really valued my time under Jeff Ellwood's tenure. Jeff Ellwood held us to a standard, and we were more than happy to cooperate. I feel as though that we were taught to hold ourselves to a standard above the status quo whether it was in music or in everyday life which is something that I hold near to me till this day.