De Anza College holds 20th Patnoe Jazz Festival

By MELISSA MATCHAK

The influence of Herb "Doc" Patnoe on De Anza College and its students will be celebrated during the 20th annual Herb Patnoe Jazz Festival May 10 and 11. The event is a tribute to the late Patnoe, an internationally renowned jazz educator who founded De Anza's jazz program three decades ago.

The memorial celebration will begin May 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restaurant, 33 E. San Fernando St., San Jose. The gathering will feature a performance by the Herb Patnoe Alumni All-Star Band, a 19-piece group formed in honor of the festival's 20th anniversary. The festivities will also include a performance by the recently revived De Anza Daddios Evening Jazz Ensemble.

The activities will continue on May 11 with performances by more than 400 high school and college students from De Anza and other schools, who will be gathering in the A Quad on campus from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to perform. There will be vocal jazz ensembles, jazz combos, big band groups and jazz vocal solos. Those performances will be free and open to the public.

At 8 p.m. on May 11, the Patnoe Vocal Jazz Night will begin in Building A1, Room 11, and will feature Vocal Flight and include performances by Claudia Villela and Ricardo Peixoto. Tickets at the door will be $10 for general admission and $7 for students and seniors.

Patnoe began teaching in the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in 1962, and five years later, established the jazz program. He died suddenly in 1981, in his early '50s. For more information about the Herb Patnoe Jazz Festival, call Letson at 408.864.8879.

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