In December we announced that a high school trio out of Sacramento was sending two musicians on to The Berklee School of Music. We were barely scratching the surface of what is interesting about this group and the support of a local community that made them possible.
The trio, based out of Rio Americano High School and known as the "tRio", consists of three talented musicians; Jake Nalangan (piano), Maddy Hill (bass) and Joseph Bly (drums). They were one of six high school groups in the nation to perform at the Monterey Next Gen Jazz Festival and were deemed “Best High School Jazz Combo in the Nation” by Downbeat Magazine. All three musicians have received numerous awards, played with an array of well known professional musicians, and look forward to careers in music. Nalangan and Hill have both accepted offers from Berklee. Bly is a sophomore with a resume that will have colleges fighting over him.
They've been very busy recently rehearsing and preparing a recording submission for contests run by Downbeat Magazine, Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, and the Sacramento State University Jazz Festival. Their high school AM Jazz Band, of which they are also members is preparing their own recording for submission to Downbeat, and entering The Essentially Ellington Festival.
The New Traditionalists (TNT),
