San Diego has a fantastic jazz scene. On a national or international scale it may be the "best kept secret" in jazz. Outside of this city, names like Castellanos, Hollyday and Hofmann may not be well recognized, but San Diegans know that awesome jazz is being made right here in "America's Finest City".
With that in mind, I have compiled a playlist of some of the best San Diego jazz artists for your listening pleasure. It's titled San Diego Swings and Young Lions Jazz Conservatory is well represented among these tracks. Our founder and artistic director Gilbert Castellanos leads the way with his latest recording Espérame En El Cielo, accompanied by graduates of the program Tyler Kreutel and John Murray. Faculty members Rob Thorsen, Holly Hofmann, and Bob Boss are represented with their own recordings as well.
The San Diego Swings playlist currently has 26 local artists and more than 2 1/2 hours of music for you to enjoy. Ed Kornhauser, Peter Sprague, Leonard Patton, Irving Flores and Matt Hall are just some of the artists that can be heard on this playlist. Of course, jazz icons Charles McPherson, Mike Wofford and the late James Moody are also included.
Give this playlist a spin on your digital devices. Add them to your music libraries on Apple Music or Spotify, as they are updated regularly with new releases and different tracks. Share with friends and post on social media. Sharing this music supports these fine jazz artists and helps to spread the love of the San Diego jazz scene around the world.