Paloma Ximena (Paloma Cobbs Silva)

Jazz Saxophonist and Clarinetist

This program follows the path Paloma Ximena took as she developed into the musician she is today. Starting with her love for New Orleans Jazz, she takes us through the history of Jazz, including the history of the saxophone and clarinet, ending with original compositions by herself and her members of the group. She carefully selected the pieces she loves most for the show, but most importantly chose the musicians she loves the most.

Set List:

'High Society - Porter Steele

Shreveport Stomp - Jelly Roll Morton
Moulin à Café - Sidney Bechet
Summertime - George Gershwin
Soul Station - Hank Mobley
Body and Soul - Johnny Green
Martha’s Prize - Cedar Walton
Hummingbird - Paloma Ximena arr. Skylar Tang
Spiral - Brad Mehldau

Through phenomenal musical educational resources in the greater Sacramento area, Paloma Ximena has discovered and explored her passion in life with ample support.

Paloma started playing music, on the recorder at age 9, at Deterding Elementary in Carmichael, and quickly excelled. A few months later, after mastering the fourth grade recorder curriculum, she decided to teach herself the clarinet. By the sixth grade, she had taught herself the alto saxophone and was selected for Arden Middle's after school jazz combo. Immediately she fell in love with jazz and learned as much as she could. At the 2019 Teagarden Traditional Jazz Camp, sponsored by Sacramento Jazz Education Foundation (SacJEF), Paloma was introduced to Early New Orleans Jazz, which is a core in her music to this day. Mentors like Bill Dendle, Parker Weis, Anita Thomas, and Shelly Burns heavily encouraged her to pursue this music.

Paloma naturally decided to attend Rio Americano High to become a member of the world-famous Rio Band. Under the incredible direction of Josh Murray, she has been lead alto saxophone of the Rio Americano AM Jazz Ensemble since her sophomore year. In 2022, Rio was selected to perform at the Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival in New York City where Paloma won the Outstanding Clarinet and Outstanding Alto Saxophone awards. After attending the festival, she was awarded a full-ride scholarship to attend Jazz at Lincoln Center's Summer Jazz Academy, a two-week summer camp featuring instruction from the top jazz musicians alive today.

Building off of the loving and rigorous instruction in Sacramento, Paloma has branched out and studied with many musicians from across the country including Wynton Marsalis, Ted Nash, Victor Goines, Greg Tardy, Alexa Tarantino, Marcus Printup, Katie Thiroux, Sal Lozano, Rodney Whitaker, Michael Dease, Helen Sung, Jocelyn Gould, Dr. Lenora Helm, Ingrid Jensen, James Chirillo, and many more.

Paloma was selected for the 2023 California All-State Jazz Ensemble and the 2023 Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo. She is a four-time YoungArts award winner and has received the Bob Draga Clarinet Scholarship, California Alliance for Jazz Scholarship, and SacJEF Music Lessons Awards.

Today, she plays and performs in various settings such as lead alto in the Rio Americano AM Jazz Ensemble, lead tenor in the SFJazz High School All-Stars, and clarinet in SacJEF's The New Traditionalists. She gets called to play in several groups around town as well. Paloma plans to pursue music as a career by continuing her studies in college as a Jazz Studies major.

Dr. Joe Gilman, piano

Dr. Joe Gilman is a full-time professor of music at American River College in Sacramento, an adjunct professor of jazz studies at CSU Sacramento, and a longtime associate of the Brubeck Institute and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. Joe was the music director of Capital Jazz Project from 1997 to 2011. He has received bachelor's degrees in classical piano and jazz studies at Indiana University, a master's degree in jazz and the contemporary media from the Eastman School of Music, and a doctoral degree in education from the University of Sarasota.

Joe has been the primary pianist with jazz vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson since September 2006, and the Sacramento Jazz Orchestra since 2010. He has also performed professionally with Eddie Harris, Woody Shaw, Marlena Shaw, Richie Cole, Joe Locke, George Duke, Chris Botti, Eric Alexander, Anthony Wilson, Nicholas Payton, Russell Malone, Charles McPherson, Wycliffe Gordon, David "Fathead" Newman, and Slide Hampton, and has recorded with Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Frank Morgan, Jeff Watts, Robert Hurst, Tootie Heath, and Larry Grenadier.

Dr. Gilman has twice been an International Jazz Ambassador through the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and USIA, traveling to West Africa in 1999 and East and Southern Africa in 2000. He won the 1998 Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Emerging Artist Award and the 2000 Sacramento News and Review SAMMIES Critical Achievement award for contribution to the arts community. Joe was the 2001 American River College Student Association Instructor of the Year and was named the first Brubeck Scholar at the 2005 Brubeck Festival. In 2004, Joe won the Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Gilman's work with students at the Brubeck Institute has produced several CDs - Brubeck Revisited Vols. 1 and 2 (Sunnyside), Wonder Revisited Vols. 1 and 2, Americanvas, and Relativity (Capri) - all recorded with Brubeck Institute fellows. His work with the students at the Brubeck Institute and American River College has resulted in eighteen DownBeat magazine student awards.

Levi Saelua, saxophone

An award-winning composer and saxophonist, Levi Saelua has played in concert halls all over the world. Since finishing at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, Levi has shared the stage with a variety of artists including Alexa Tarantino, Marc Broussard, Theodicy, and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. He is currently a member of the Capital Jazz Project, the Alex Jenkins Trio, and Triism, a trio whose unique approach to jazz standards and Balkan folk music won the grand prize at the 2016 EUROPAfest in Bucharest, Romania. He directs Colossus West, a 20-piece modern big band that performs all of Levi's compositions and arrangements, and he co-directs the Pacific Standard Jazz Orchestra, a mixed orchestration jazz ensemble that performs new arrangements of classic standards.

Oscar Wisnia, drums

Oscar Wisnia was born in Sacramento on August 5th, 2006. He lives in Davis.

In pre-adolescent years the drum set took the form of an emotional outlet. In early adolescent years the drum set took the form of the great social connector (he had lost what few social skills he possessed during the COVID 19 Pandemic; through music he was able to meet people).

Now a late teenager, drums are his meditation: he takes solace in practice, gains confidence in performing, becomes jubilant when he meets those who share his love for music.

Oscar is probably practicing somewhere right now…

Stan Jarmolowicz, bass

Stanislaw "Stan" Jarmolowicz was born in 1957 in Karniewo, Poland in the Warsaw area. He started private lessons on violin at age of 6. His father, an accordion player, bought a children's size accordion for Stan, which led to accordion lessons. After he decided to quit the violin, Stan was introduced to the guitar, falling in love with the flamenco style. He pursued the guitar through his teenage years. He joined a rock group in his teens where he played electric guitar and electric bass. Once in high school, Stan learned the trombone since it was the only section available.

Stan continued studies on the trombone until adulthood. In music school he met his future wife who was an accomplished pianist. They frequently performed piano and trombone classical duets. For fun, Stan would grab the acoustic bass and play jazz with other students. During his college education, Stan discovered his passion for the visual arts.

In 1980, Stan and his wife made the hard decision to leave his friends and family in Poland in order to escape Communist rule. After 6 months in Austria, they ended up in California, more specifically San Francisco which then led to Sacramento. At this time, the amazing annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee was at its peak, which inspired Stan to pursue jazz.

Stan started pursuing the acoustic bass after spending a lot of time repairing the Jazz Band Ball Orchestra’s bass with a local luthier. He started playing with local greats like Jessica Williams, Tom Peron, Buca Nethack, Steve Homan, and Dred Scott. Due to medical complications and raising kids, Stan stepped away from music for decades. 

Stan began playing the bass only 2 years ago. He has worked his way back up in the Sacramento jazz scene and is overwhelmed with the enthusiasm music brings him.

Skylar Tang, trumpet