Issue date: June 24, 1998

They've got that swing: Frank Moura and his M-A Jazz Band keep tradition alive -- at home and abroad

The reputation of the M-A Jazz Band is firmly anchored in that of its leader. A trombonist who has played jazz semi-professionally since the age of 12, Frank Moura has earned the respect of fellow musicians and music teachers in far-flung areas, largely due to his leadership of the M-A band during festival performances over the last 20 years.

During that time, the band has won 75 jazz festivals, performing music from the great swing era -- the music of Ellington, Basie, Kenton and others. The current band, which Mr. Moura says is perhaps the best in 10 years, with numerous strong soloists, has taken home superior ratings in all the festivals it participated in this year.

A teacher with the Sequoia Union High School District for 30 years, with 27 of those spent at M-A, Mr. Moura, 53, has also earned the deep affection of his students and the respect of the school community in general for the energy and commitment he has poured into the school's music program.

And, his students and fans are quick to note, Mr. Moura's commitment goes far beyond running a classroom program and handing out grades at the end of each semester. Nighttime rehearsals, weekend and evening performances by the band or by combos formed by band members, and fund-raising events -- all time-consuming, extracurricular activities, and Frank Moura is always there, they say.

"He is the most dedicated teacher I've met in my entire life," says Elyce Haskell, the band booster chairperson and the mother of bass trombonist David Haskell. And, Ms. Haskell adds, "the kids love him -- they adore him."

That may sound like an overstatement. But talk to the students: "He cares so much about everyone in the band," says vibes player Anne Baden, who graduated from M-A this month after two years in the advanced band. "He has real devotion to the band and everyone in it."

Bryan Baskin, who graduated this month, notes that Mr. Moura "gets along really well with the kids, and we all have a lot of respect for him."

"He's not just a great director and musician -- he's a good friend of mine," says David Haskell, a senior this fall and the band's manager.

At the same time, David says, Mr. Moura doesn't neglect his role as a teacher and authority figure. "When my grades were starting to slip, Frank threatened to not let me come to rehearsals," he recalls, indicating that the threat was enough to get him back on track academically.

Support and encouragement

Students describe Mr. Moura's style as "laid back," with a great and welcome sense of humor. And while they appear to respond well to that style, the importance of Mr. Moura's talents as a musician and a teacher are not lost on them.

"I've grown tremendously as a musician" since beginning high school, says David, "and I credit a lot of that to Frank directly."

While David, Anne and Bryan began their studies with Mr. Moura as freshmen, vocalist Lizzie Keith, a graduate this month, didn't join the jazz program until her junior year. In fact, although she had done some acting and chorus-style singing, she knew nothing about jazz.

"I'd heard all this stuff about Frank -- that he was an awesome guy, a funny and wild teacher," Lizzie recalls. She says she approached Mr. Moura with the encouragement of a friend who had been a singer in the jazz program, and told him she was interested in singing with the band. In spite of her lack of exposure to the music, Mr. Moura encouraged her to sign up, recommending that she listen to recordings of the great jazz singers.

During the last two years, she has grown tremendously both musically and personally, she says. The program has "built my confidence so many times over," she explains, adding that Mr. Moura's guidance and support have been instrumental to her development. At his suggestion, she signed up for vocal workshops at the Reno Jazz Festival, and she has "played around more and more with my voice this year."

"He's been very supportive," Lizzie says, adding that Mr. Moura pushes her to expand her abilities in a way that doesn't create tremendous pressure.

Space to grow

In keeping with a fundamental tenet of jazz, Mr. Moura gives students the space to develop their own voices and styles.

"Frank taught me to think for myself," recalls Jim Norton, a former student whose career since leaving M-A has included European and U.S. tours, acclaimed performances in the Bay Area with a variety of groups, and the creation of astonishingly innovative music.

"He gave me a lot of space, but at the same time he was a good teacher -- he didn't let me go totally wild," Mr. Norton says.

During his two years in the M-A band, Mr. Norton wrote some original music and arranged other compositions for the ensemble. He also reveled in an environment in which improvisation and creativity was encouraged. While many high school band teachers might run a more structured program, "Frank would say, 'Let's open this up for solos,' and would give us a lot of space to blow," Mr. Norton says.

On the map

It was Jim Norton, a Portola Valley resident at the time, who "really kind of put us on the map," says Mr. Moura. The year was 1978, and the band program was still young.

Although the group had performed at the Reno Jazz Festival several times before, it hadn't yet reached a level of great achievement and attention. That changed -- in a spectacular way -- with Mr. Norton's solo performance in "Stella by Starlight," Mr. Moura recalls.

"That was the only time I've ever seen the judges stand and applaud."

Mr. Moura says it was the band's performance, with Mr. Norton, then a junior, in the spotlight, that led to the group's first invitation to the Montreux Jazz Festival. He was hesitant to accept the invitation, in part because the group had only about six weeks to raise the $40,000 the trip to the Switzerland festival would require.

"But the parents and the community got behind us," he says, and the band became -- and still is -- one of the few high school groups in the world to perform at the renowned festival. The band's performance there this July will be its eighth.

The 1978 trip was a first for the band and a career-launcher for Mr. Norton, who was asked to stay and perform by a music promoter there. "Frank made me call my mom to see if it was OK," Mr. Norton says with a laugh, 20 years after the unexpected turn of events "set the stage for my for going back and forth" to Europe during his subsequent career.

High achievers

The M-A students and June grads who will be boarding a plane to Europe next week are not only talented musicians but academic achievers as well, Mr. Moura notes. Most participate in other school activities, including newspaper and drama productions, athletics and student government. Many are National Honor Society members and scholarship recipients.

They do it all in spite of a busy performance schedule that includes rehearsals every Monday night and performances at numerous events in the area.

In addition to helping the students grow in musicianship, the outside performances also raise money for the band and the rest of M-A's music program, which receives limited funding from the Sequoia high school district.

Since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, money for new instruments has dried up, and only the band's money-making efforts have made it possible to repair instruments and buy music. Mr. Moura also makes periodic runs to the Price Club to pick up snack foods and soft drinks to sell during school breaks, with the profits going into the music program kitty, Elyce Haskell notes.

Another result of Proposition 13, which resulted in funding crises in schools throughout the state, is the elimination of music programs in a number of the feeder schools.

Locally, only Hillview Middle and La Entrada schools -- both in districts serving Menlo Park and Atherton -- have music programs that prepare children for advanced music study at M-A. Both Ravenswood and Redwood City districts have eliminated their programs.

Although those circumstances make Mr. Moura's efforts to keep the jazz program alive a little tougher, it has not defeated him. After all, it was his persistence that led to the start of the program in 1971, when he moved to M-A from the now-defunct Ravenswood High School.

Mr. Moura recalls that he approached M-A's principal at the time, Doug Murray, and asked if he could start a jazz program. Although Mr. Moura had to admit he only had one student lined up, Mr. Murray said he could give it a try. By the end of the semester, 18 kids were enrolled.

At that time, Mr. Moura also coached football; later, he coached varsity soccer, and taught driver's education.

Now, he has his hands full in keeping the music program alive and well, although he also continues to perform in a big band, Tuesday Night Live, that rehearses at the school and performs progressive and Latin jazz throughout the Bay Area.

Mr. Moura and his wife, Sydney, raised three sons -- Chris, Steve and Nick -- all of whom were in the M-A Jazz Band and toured Europe with the group. Chris followed in his father's footsteps and is music director at San Jose's Oak Grove High School.



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