Musically minded

Suzie Harrison

John Heussenstamm calls blues and jazz the foundation to the modern

music scene.

They also are the foundation to Laguna’s musical education.

On Saturday, the legendary bluesman and Laguna local will again

highlight his 11th annual Blues and Jazz Festival benefit for Laguna

Beach High School’s Music Department.

Every year the concert is a sell-out with well-known performers

helping with the cause.

This year, Heussenstamm will be joined by the Ron Kobayashi Trio,

which will play the music of Thelonious Monk, Dave Brubeck, Bill

Evans and McCoy Tyner; the Eric Dries-Roger Shew Group and other

award winning performers, including the Laguna Beach High School Jazz

Ensemble.

“I think we started in ‘93,” Heussenstamm said. “One year we did

two concerts to try and raise more money.”

The benefit concerts for the school began after the Artists’

Theatre was renovated in the ‘90s.

“The only plans they had was to have school plays in there,”

Heussenstamm said. “I was sitting there watching a play and thought

it’d be a great room to have a concert.”

He approached SchoolPower, a group that raises money for Laguna

schools, and suggested they hold benefit concerts.

“That’s how it all got started,” Heussenstamm said. “And we

immediately started raising money for the music department.”

Heussenstamm was also interested in helping because three of his

children have been through the entire Laguna Beach music program with

Jim Foster, the original music director.

“I really love the results of the whole program so much,”

Heussenstamm said.

He recalled when one of his children was entering the program

during Orange County’s financial demise.

“Misappropriated funds threatened to close the art and music

departments,” Heussenstamm said. “I decided to do this to raise money

and keep it going, because I wanted my kids to continue to get their

music education.”

He said on average, the concert brings in $5,000 to $7,000 with

100% of the funds going to benefit the music department.

“We also have a raffle that raises money, guitars and stuff,”

Heussenstamm said.

He said he gets a lot out of doing the show.

“Because of the high quality and continuity of the show; I’ve had

a lot of young kids who have never performed in a crowd,”

Heussenstamm said. “They like that they get to get on stage and

perform.”

Laguna Beach High School Artists’ Theatre technical director Peter

Roche called the concert invaluable.

“With John being the legend that he is, he brings these big name

people in,” Roche said. “And it’s able to raise a lot of funds for

the music department.”

Roche added that he appreciates that the festival also brings

visibility to the high school and the auditorium.

Music education is critical, Heussenstamm concluded.

“Music connects people with a deeper part of themselves,” he said.

“It’s a gift. For people to deny it, it stops the natural creative

flow of a person’s life.”

The 11th annual Blues and Jazz Festival will be at 7:30 p.m. at

the Laguna Beach High School’s Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Ave.

Tickets are $25 for reserved seats, $15 for adults and $10 for

students. For tickets, call (949) 497-9779.