On Tuesday evening, May 21, members of the Wilton community came out to the Town Green to support the second annual “Tacos & Jazz” event. Blessed by great weather and even better music, the event was organized and hosted by Cider Mill School band teacher Jon Garcia in conjunction with Jason Norrett of Point Break Tacos.
The event featured Wilton music students in the 5th grade Cider Mill Jazz Ensemble and Wilton High School’s Jazz 1 joined by musicians from University of the Arts, teachers from the Wilton Conservatory of Music and professional musicians from around the community.
There was also a surprise guest artist who joined Cider Mill students with his trombone: Chris Brubeck, son of Wilton piano legend Dave Brubeck, delighted the students (and the audience) with his smooth trombone solos and shared some anecdotes from his time growing up in Wilton.
“My goal when I got to Wilton three years ago was to provide opportunities for my students to perform in the community in which they live, and also strengthen the partnership between our thriving music programs and local Wilton businesses,” Garcia said. “At end of the day, students fall in love with performing, not necessarily practicing. So the more they perform the more they connect with their instrument and the art of music making!”
The Cider Mill Jazz Ensemble will have its final performance as part of the school’s Band Spring Concert on Tuesday, June 4 at Cider Mill School.