The Tri-Valley Jazz Trio Returns to Inklings on January 5th, 2018

The Tri-Valley Jazz Trio is yet another addition to Pleasanton's music scene. As Pleasanton grows from a small town to a prosperous city with its own culture, it continues to expand in numerous directions, including more concerts and other music events.

The buildup to the Tri-Valley Jazz Trio began as far back as September 27, 2016, when Inklings Coffee & Tea opened in downtown Pleasanton. The coffee shop had an important addition, however, which still is there today - the "Common Room", or "Events Room", a large room behind the main coffee bar with a stage and a first-class sound and lighting system.

The next step towards the founding of the Trio was in May 2017, when the Tri-Valley Jazz Society was founded. An unofficial organization, the Tri-Valley Jazz Society aims to spread news about jazz events in the Tri-Valley to residents of Pleasanton, Dublin, and Livermore. Although a closely related group, the Pleasanton Jazz Society, has in more recent times separated from the Tri-Valley Jazz Society to specifically focus on the Inklings concerts, the unofficial organization was first formed along with the Tri-Valley Jazz Society.

Things got even closer to the formation of the Trio on July 1, 2017, when James Hall (piano), Matt Finders (bass), and Ren Whitney (drums) played at Inklings Coffee from 10:30 AM - 12 noon.

The first concert with the Tri-Valley Jazz Trio was on September 8th, 2017. Like most of the Tri-Valley Jazz Trio concerts since, the concert was held on a Friday evening from 7 - 9 PM with a special guest to join the Trio for the night. A trumpeter from the area, Modesto Briseno, guested with the Trio. As with all of the concerts at Inklings, there was no admission charge and the event was well-attended. From the September concert onwards, Kelly Fasman became the drummer for the Trio, but James Hall and Matt Finders remained in the group.

The new Tri-Valley Jazz Trio was (and still is) an interesting combination. Pianist James Hall is a 13-year-old jazz pianist who is relatively new on the scene, but has already gained important experience. He has composed more than twenty songs and recorded three CDs. Matt Finders, on the other hand, played for 17 years as a trombonist for the Jay Leno show (along with numerous other groups in New York and Hollywood) before settling down in the Tri-Valley as a bassist and educator for local jazz bands. Kelly Fasman is a drummer who plays regularly with Matt Finders at several locations, including Retzlaff Vineyards.

With the Tri-Valley Jazz Trio an organized group by October 2017, the second formal concert took place on November 10, 2017, with guest saxophonist Guido Fazio. This concert was even more successful than the September 8th concert, and there was a full house for the event. There are several videos of the November 10th concert on YouTube, including "Jazz for Jenny", a tune composed by James Hall.

The Trio next met with Pleasanton-based jazz saxophonist Noel Catura on December 1, 2017, once again from 7 - 9 PM. This was another successful concert, with almost a full house and once again some excellent music was produced.

The Trio will continue into 2018 by playing with Bay Area guitarist Hugo Wainzinger, who has played in numerous genres of music, particularly Brazilian styles, but will primarily play jazz with the Trio on January 5th, 2018, from 7 - 9 PM. This will be a very different but hopefully still exciting performance for the Tri-Valley Jazz Trio and the guest. It is once again free, open to the general public, and still located at the Inklings Common Room (Events Room), 530 Main Street, Pleasanton, California.

The Trio is scheduled to perform with young jazz saxophonist Sean Huang on January 7th, with bebop saxophonist Andrew Speight on February 9th, and guest once again with Guido Fazio on March 23rd.

For more information, visit the Trio website or trivalleyjazz.org. We also give Inklings, Zelda Kohn, and Nathan Kohn a special thanks for their help with the Tri-Valley Jazz Trio concerts at Inklings.