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School of The Getdown Youth Arts Camp
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Faye Carol - Vocals, Co-Producer
The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol is known as an icon in the Bay Area and beyond, highly regarded for her powerful voice, astonishing versatility, and gift of connecting with her audience. Equally at home in jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, funk, latin, and hip-hop, she has developed her own authentic sound and unique delivery, delighting audiences young and old across the globe. After beginning her career with gospel music, Faye Carol made her name singing with Oakland blues and funk legend Johnny Talbot & De Thangs before forming her own trio and gaining fame in San Francisco's jazz, blues, & cabaret clubs of the 1970s and 80s. Over a 60-year career in music, this living legend has developed her own unique acoustic sound and style in Black Music - drawing from funk, blues, gospel, and straight ahead swingin' - and cultivated an audience that remains as diverse as her uplifting music. She has maintained a high level of musicianship in her groups, mentoring some of the Bay Area's brightest young talent including pianist Benny Green, bassist Marcus Shelby, and her daughter, pianist/composer Kito Kamili. Her vocal proteges include international superstars Kehlani and Ledisi.
Miss Faye has shared the stage with Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Pharaoh Sanders, Joan Baez, Billy Higgins, Albert King, Bobby Hutcherson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Buster Williams, Azar Lawrence, Steve Turre, Dennis Chambers, Bernard Purdie, Lenny White, Roy McCurdy, Sun Ra, Robert Randolph, Mistah F.A.B., Henry Butler, Gary Bartz, Cedar Walton, Ledisi, Philly Joe Jones, Dorothy Donegan, Pete Escovedo, David Murray, Chester Thompson, Charles Brown, and Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, among others. Miss Faye is also a dedicated educator and founder of School of the Getdown. She has been honored with the proclamation of a city-wide “Faye Carol Day” in the City of Berkeley (2018) and "Faye Carol Day" in the City of Oakland (2024), as well as induction into the Oakland Walk of Fame, the Meridian Mississippi Walk of Fame, and the Pittsburg Entertainment and Arts Hall of Fame. Additionally, she has received countless awards including the 2014 Bay Area Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Hero Award, Jefferson Award for Public Service, four Cabaret Gold Awards, Top Star Awards Entertainer of the Year, and a prestigious 2021 Hewlett 50 Arts Commission.
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Miss Faye has taught for over three decades at programs and schools including Jazz Camp West, Jam Camp West, East Bay Institute for Urban Arts, Berkeley Black Repertory Theater, Blues in the Schools, Oakland School for the Arts, and her own Music in the Community and School of The Getdown programs. Additionally, she has been a guest clinician at countless schools and educational programs including Young Musicians Choral Orchestra, Elevate Oakland, Jazzschool, College of Alameda, and Eastside Arts Alliance.
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Professor Kee - Music Theory​
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Pianist, vocalist, composer, songwriter, producer, and music teacher with over 30 years of professional experience. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, performances include local, national, and international venues.
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I am a teaching artist who enjoys teaching music to all age groups, specializing in improvisation and original music. I've successfully instructed students in private lessons, various schools, & group workshops in many different settings. I've developed a style of teaching that recognizes each student's individual way of learning while supporting the expression of their unique voice.
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I'm from the school of jazz being handed down from generation to generation in the tradition of the innovators. My informal musical education began in the womb, as my mother Faye Carol was a professional vocalist. Her career continued after my birth, providing a special musical environment for me to grow up in. My formal musical education began at the age of 3, with my father James Gamble teaching me piano & music theory.
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At age 16, I became the pianist & Musical Director for The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol, gaining invaluable experience that also included the business of music. I continued my studies at UC Berkeley in the Young Musician’s Program, Laney College, and the California Institute of the Arts.
Ryan Nicole - Rap
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GRAMMY®-nominated feature artist & quadruple treat, RyanNicole “utilizes every gift available to her for the liberation of all people”. Affectionately titled the “4A”, RyanNicole seeks opportunities to empower and inspire by way of her pursuits as an award winning Artist | Actress | Athlete | Activist.
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RyanNicole is a GRAMMY®-nominated (Alphabet Rockers) feature MC & Poet whose lyrical prowess has been exploited on international stages and web platforms (Team Backpack), garnering fans in the thousands across the globe. She is a TEDx Fellow, whose musical compositions include a solo mixtape, entitled Dis’Onance and several collaborative efforts with her group Nu Dekades (dec-ades) and other artists. RyanNicole has performed with a wide array of artists and persons of influence, most notably President Barack Obama.
As a playwright & producer, Ryan is proud of her world premier musical Co-Founders, happening at the American Conservatory Theatre. RyanNicole was sought after to co-star in the NBA on ESPN’s Christmas Special with Daveed Diggs, playing several characters & showing off her comedic & rap skills. Ryan has led several productions of the most reputable theater companies to include Native Son (Marin Theater Company), The Story (SF Playhouse), XTigone (African American Shakespeare Theater), Hamlet: Blood In The Brain & Raisin In The Sun (California Shakespeare Theater/Intersection for the Arts), among many others. She is an alumnus of NYC’s Public Theater Fellowship #BARS Workshop as a writer & performer. Ryan developed & and directed ACT’s Lyrical Cabaret in 2019 & is on the developmental teams for upcoming musicals Curren$y, an adaptation of the Merchant of Venice.
Ryan is a longstanding record holder & California State Champion in high school track & field, and maintains accolades in her hometown of Oakland for the fastest yet recorded time for the 300MIH & 400MIH (hurdles), respectively. Ryan was offered scholarships to several universities and accepted full rides to University of Arizona & San Diego State University, where she received degrees in Sociology & Political Science, and held the distinction of Big Red Scholar Athlete (GPA of 3.5 and above). RyanNicole has expanded her talents and interests in athleticism to training personal clients and is in the process of launching an innovative media platform called FITTRIP which serves as a guide to help travelers find healthy options while on the go.
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RyanNicole has served her community as an organizer and activist for 2 decades. She holds the distinction of becoming one of the youngest non-profit executive directors in the Bay Area, where she received a 2-year fellowship in prestigious leadership program, LeaderSpring. RyanNicole now supports various community organizations and initiatives as a business consultant, providing counsel in capacity building, fundraising, marketing/branding and program development. Her client list includes KALW, EastSide Arts Alliance, San Francisco Foundation, and Alliance for Safety & Justice among others.
Virginia Jourdan - Visual Art
I enjoyed art as a child and continued pursuing my passion and developing my talents through college. I attended the University of Washington where I honed my skills in painting, then went on to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where I received my BFA in Illustration. I moved to New York and worked as a freelance Illustrator for commercial jobs before returning to the Bay Area where I began focusing on fine art to allow for more creative freedom. I am also an art educator.
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I continued developing my talents studying abroad, attending painting workshops in Italy and China. My artwork has been featured at exhibitions across the country and includes several commissioned portraits.
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I recently illustrated my first children’s book, Granny, Who is God? written by Carmen Bogan.
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My art business has been designated as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.
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My inspiration comes from my life experiences as an African American woman living in America and my desire to live in peace and harmony.
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I have two styles, which include realism and abstract modernism. Sometimes I use both styles in one painting or just one style. Stenciled hearts and foliage is a motif I frequently employ as well as a dove. These elements suggest peace, love and happiness.
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My career highlights include:
Art education project for 10,000 3rd & 4th graders conducted by Alameda Education Foundation 2020
San Francisco Tara Street Community Garden, Organizer/Desinger/Artist 2013
The Art of Living Black Award 2010
Richmond Art Center Members Award 2009
Children's book illustrations published 2014
Richmond, CA General Plan illustrations published 2008
Pacific Telesis Rincon Annex painting commission 1998
Black Elegance Magazine illustrations published 1989
African National Congress calendar published 1987
Juan Escovedo - Percussion
At a young age, Juan Escovedo began teaching himself how to play bongos, congas, trap drums, timbales, percussion, and other instruments. When he turned 14 he began playing with his father, Pete Escovedo. Since then, Juan has been undeniably a musician of complexity, style, and originality. His artistic achievements flow from his rich musical heritage and compassion for his art form. Juan Escovedo tours, writes, and records as a solo artist and with his family – father, Pete Escovedo, brother Peter Michael, and sister, Sheila E. They have a CD titled “The E-Family,” which is quickly rising the charts. Juan co-wrote and produced three of their new songs. The CD features Josh Stone, Gloria Estefan, Earth, Wind & Fire.
Juan has toured, performed, and recorded with many artists, including Prince, Tony Toni Tone, Miguel, El Chicano, Con Funk Shun, Patti LaBelle, Amerie, Chingy, Jody Watley, Lou Bega, MC Hammer, Lionel Richie, En Vogue, El DeBarge, Freddie Hubbard, Barry White, Herbie Hancock, Cyndi Lauper, Teri Lynn Carrington, Bobby McFerrin, Tito Puente, Cheryl Lynn, Raphael Saadiq, Andy Vargas, Carlos Santana, Tierra, Bobby Womack, his sister Sheila E., and, still, his father, Pete Escovedo.
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Juan tours writes, and records as a solo artist and with his father’s Latin Jazz Orchestra and The E Family: his father, his brother, Peter Michael Escovedo, and his sister Sheila E. Produced and arranged by Peter Michael Escovedo, The E Family’s latest CD, Rhythm of the Night, is a collection of nine “Old School” Soul & R&B hits, re-arranged and transformed into an explosion of Latin Jazz articulated through a fourteen-piece Latin Jazz Orchestra. The album features guest vocalists Peter Michael, Simon Russel, Sy Smith, Sheila E., Peter Michael, Debi, and Escovedo’s great-grandchildren.
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Arayah Fleming - Dance​
Arayah Fleming has been a professional dancer and teaching artist in California since 2018. She teaches hip-hop dance classes for adults and youth starting at the age of 3, with her main organization, Destiny Art Center and for various schools in the Oakland Unified School District. As a professional dancer, she’s had the opportunity to perform at various shows throughout the Bay Area, travel to other states to perform, and even dance in commercials for a few companies including Google! When she’s not working with the youth or performing, she’s also teaching at Full Out Studios or choreographing for Grammy Award-winning singing group Alphabet Rockers, whose music spreads a message of inclusivity and positivity throughout the Bay Area. Arayah’s biggest priority as a teacher is to see her students leave with a new sense of confidence in their movement and an understanding that no matter where they are in their dance journey, they are amazing and deserve to be celebrated.
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Joe Warner - Accompanist, Co-Producer
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Pianist Joe Warner is one of the Bay Area’s brightest young talents, quickly gaining recognition for his compelling style and exceptional performances. He has served as Pianist and Musical Director for The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol for over 12 years, leads the Joe Warner Trio, and has also performed or recorded with Houston Person, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Buster Williams, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Dayna Stephens, Rico Jones, Sylvia Cuenca, Azar Lawrence, Mistah F.A.B., Mary Stallings, Steve Turre, Robert Randolph, Kenny Washington, Tarus Mateen, Marcus Shelby Orchestra, Johnny Talbot, Stephanie Crawford, Elena Pinderhughes, Craig Handy, Greg Hutchinson, Roy McCurdy, Marvin 'Smitty' Smith, Tarus Mateen, Eric Wyatt, Lenny White, Casey Benjamin, Dennis Chambers, Bernard Purdie, The California Honeydrops, Willie Jones III, Jules Broussard, Freddie Hughes, Derick Hughes, Martin Luther, John Santos, Oakland Symphony, Rickey Woodard, John Handy, Valerie Troutt, and Denise Perrier, among others.