NEC Prep & Adult Ed Jazz Ensemble at Charles River Jazz Festival

Expanded Education's NEC Prep & Adult Ed Jazz Ensemble performs at Charles River Jazz Festival on the Next Gen Stage, bringing together emerging young musicians and experienced performers from Boston’s jazz community. The group offers fresh interpretations of classic jazz styles alongside original compositions influenced by blues, bop, fusion, neo-soul, and bossa nova. Its teen musicians include Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education and All-State award winners, joined by Adult Education alumni such as drummer Dave Fox and violinist Gray Garafov. Current adult ed student Tianlin Xu performs standards in English as well as original Chinese-language music, adding her own modern jazz perspective to an ensemble that reflects the range and vitality of NEC’s community music programs.