The Latin Connection was created by 15 year old composer/arranger/band

leader, Chase Morrin one year ago.  Chase recruited talented young teenagers

from South, North, and East San Diego.  The band plays original Latin jazz

compositions and arrangements written by Chase-fusing Latin and jazz to

create new sounds. The band and members have traveled and performed at the

Next Generation Monterey Jazz Festival and the Reno Jazz Festival.  Latin

Connection won this year's national Down Beat magazine award for Best Latin

Group.  The award won with a recording of Chase's original "Whitos Ninos -2",

the title for their first CD which will be released for the first time on

July 7 at Catalina Bar and Grill.  The band welcomes the LA jazz scene's

support on this special night!  More information on the band can be found at

http://www.chasemorrin.com/latinconnection and www.myspace.com/sdlatinconnection

The band's founder, Chase Morrin, is known as a jazz piano prodigy.  He

started composing and playing piano after discovering a toy keyboard at age

8. By age 12, he became the youngest recipient of the national ASCAP

(American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) award presented to

him at the Lincoln Center in New York and recognized again for another

composition in 2009. His composition awards also include the Composers Today

State Contest awards in 2007 and 2008 from the Music Teachers Association of

California (MTAC) and in 2009 he is one of two new members in California

inducted into the Young Composer's Guild of California.  Chase was a 2009

Spotlight semi-finalist and the 2009 pianist for the Reno Jazz Festival All

Star Combo.  Last summer, Chase received the prestigious Herb Alpert

Scholarship for emerging young artists by the faculty of the California

State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA)-Innerspark at CalArts.  This

summer, Chase will attend the Berklee College of Music's five week summer

program on a full scholarship.  At only 15, Chase and his band gigs up to

four times a week among the professional jazz scene in San Diego. 

Young Artist Jazz Series