As more young people listen to a variety of musical genres, their hopes of seeing their favorite artists in person continue to grow. But many music lovers can agree that it takes a lot of time and money to attend a concert. If a fan wants to go see their favorite artist live, they may have to pay upwards of $200 and drive more than an hour to the venue. But this does not mean that live music is completely absent from Santa Clarita. One of West Ranch’s very own teachers, Mr. Leff, has a band of his own.
On April 4, 2026, GO Jazz Big Band hosted a spring concert at The MAIN on Newhall Avenue. GO Jazz Big Band is a jazz band run by West Ranch Jazz Band Teacher Brian Leff. Originally formed by his West Ranch predecessor, Bob Babko, the band has been run by Mr. Leff for about ten years. Throughout his time in charge of the band, he has made changes in the practice and performance of the band. “Over time, I’ve had fewer rehearsals and performances for the band, which allows me to get higher quality musicians because better players aren’t available as often,” Leff explained.
This concert, in particular, was spring-themed and named after the famous jazz tune “It Might As Well Be Spring” from the musical “State Fair.” The band played a variety of tunes, ranging from “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” to “The Jazz Police.” They even invited vocalist Steve Lively to sing a few songs, including “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Bye Bye Blackbird” and more.
When Leff’s students heard about this performance, many of them jumped at the opportunity to see live music in Santa Clarita. One of these students was Junior Aidin Collins, who described the performance as “Energizing. You could really see the musicians getting into it and enjoying the music” Collins emphasized. “It was amazing to see Steve Lively going crazy with his voice. His voice is definitely one of a kind.”
Senior Clive Jeon was another student who did not hesitate to see live music in person. “I would really like to go again and would recommend it to others because it’s a good way to experience big band music live, rather than listening to it passively,” Jeon expressed.
The next GO Jazz Big Band concert is planned to be in December at the MAIN. It will be a holiday concert, so you can expect to hear a variety of fun twists on the holiday songs you love. Cats, make sure to check out gojazzbigband.com and attend their upcoming concert!
