Participating in drama at Emerson Community Charter Middle School coaxed 12-year-old seventh-grader Akira Shelton out of her shell, allowing her to make friends while building her skills in acting and singing. But Emerson is often left to find new ways to continue funding its theater, arts and music programs. Emerson students, their parents and staff […]
Category Archives: Music
Q&A: UCLA band Apollo Soul talks music, upcoming Ecochella performance
From the JazzReggae Festival to the upcoming Ecochella, Apollo Soul has worked its way around the UCLA musical circuit. Yet with ethnomusicology students Ellington Peet on drums, Jack Bastian on keyboard and Cole Brossus on bass, and undeclared student Matt Saunders on guitar, all four Apollo Soul members are first-year students. After six months together, […]
Q&A: Alum musician Julian Le talks about touring, life after UCLA
At 3 years old, UCLA alumnus Julian Le began playing classical piano under the guidance of his parents. From then on, he played the instrument regularly, garnering gigs at churches and with his band around Los Angeles throughout his college career. Today, he has performed with artists such as Chris Brown, Childish Gambino and Kendrick […]
29th annual JazzReggae Festival brings high energy despite rain
The 29th annual JazzReggae Festival embodied more music genres than what its name entailed. From alternative to hip-hop music, JRF broadened its lineup in its new home, the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Daily Bruin A&E’s Salus Kim and Ruhee Patel explored the one-day, eco-friendly festival, which featured a vendors village, live art and musical performances. […]
Alum’s Contemporary Performance Collective to present new musical works
Jacqueline Marshall said she wasn’t playing the music that most interested her at the rise of her professional music career. Though a thriving harpist for orchestral and recorded music, the UCLA alumna said her passions lay in new music. “I found that I had virtually no opportunities to play contemporary music in a chamber setting,” […]
Q&A: Keznamdi discusses hopes for JazzReggae, music career
On Monday – 4/20 – Keznamdi released the music video for his song “10 Pound,” which depicts the singer-songwriter lying in a field of cannabis in his home country of Jamaica. Although originally from Jamaica, the musician spent his teenage years in Tanzania and Ethiopia before eventually moving to California to play Division I soccer […]
Student to lead concert of rocksteady, Middle Eastern, string groups
Tranquil strums of the ukulele, lively Middle Eastern riqq beats and jazzy piano textures all make up a palette of sounds quite familiar to fourth-year individual studies student Lindsey Kunisaki. Alongside musicians she met throughout her time as a UCLA undergraduate, Kunisaki will lead a three-part performance of Jamaican, Middle Eastern and contemporary jazz music […]