Yakima Valley College’s Music program presents two jazz concerts this March celebrating Holly Channell’s critically acclaimed album “Not Just a Standard.” These concerts feature Holly Channell on drums, Stephanie Steele on piano and YVC Music Instructor Jeff Norwood playing bass.  They will be performing jazz standards and songs from the Great American Songbook arranged by Channell.

The concerts will be held on Monday, March 3, at 2 p.m. in Hopf Union Building (HUB) on the Yakima Campus and Thursday, March 6, at 12:30 p.m. in the Grandview Campus Library. Both concerts are free and open to the public.

About the musicians

Holly Channell

Channell is an American drummer, musician, educator, producer, composter and recording artist based in Boston. Celebrating the release of her critically acclaimed debut album, “Not Just a Standard,” Channell is touring through the U.S. Critiqued as “unstoppable,” “undeniable,” and “a phenomenon,” Channell has had the pleasure of working alongside Danilo Perez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade and many others.

Her debut album houses Benny Golson pianist, Mike Kocour acclaimed bandleader and trumpeter, Jason Palmer Arizona’s hardest working bassist, and Glendale Community College Department head Ben Hedquist, and is represented by prominent European record label Fresh Sound Records. She recently graduated from the distinguished Berklee Global Jazz Institute with a master’s in global jazz, graduating with distinction. As a bandleader she has played with elite musicians from all over the world, and collaborated with artists like Danilo Perez, Brian Blade and John Patitucci and continues performing and recording her next projects as the present and future of the jazz music scene.

Stephanie Steele

When Steele’s not at the piano working out a new tune, she’s doing her best to inspire the next generation of musicians. Between private lessons and group jazz classes, there are more than 40 students coming through her studio doors every week. Her music theory and jazz improv workshops branch out to middle and high school students of all levels and instruments to empower their own creativity. The content comes from her very own copyrighted theory book, “Music Theory 101” — a step-by-step textbook to help young musicians unravel the basic building blocks of music. 
 
You can usually find her performing with the Stephanie Steele Quintet+ or The New Normal. As Steele’s longest running group, the Quintet+ generally premieres most of her original works. The New Normal is an all-women group aimed at empowering young, female musicians in the Tri-Cities, and performs arrangements
created by all members of the group. 

Jeff Norwood

Norwood, YVC Director of Instrumental Music, has been playing the bass since the age of 12. His professional experience covers a wide range of styles, with a focus on jazz, Afro-Cuban music, and Argentine tango. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from California Polytechnic State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Double Bass Performance from the University of Washington. Norwood continues to be an active a freelance bassist.

YVC’s Music program provides students with affordable academic courses and quality performing opportunities in vocal and instrumental music as well as private lessons. The department offers courses designed for students who have an interest in music as a non-major. YVC’s Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combos have won numerous awards and are known throughout the Pacific Northwest region for their quality.

Visit YVC’s calendar for more information on upcoming events and activities.