Mt. SAC’s Jazz Ensemble won Best Large Ensemble at DownBeat’s 41st Annual Student Music Awards. DownBeat is a magazine centered around jazz and blues music.

The jazz ensemble has competed and won first place in prestigious competitions such as the Reno Jazz Festival and the Western States Jazz Festival.

They are directed by Jeffrey Ellwood, who is the director of instrumental jazz studies at Mt. SAC. He has performed or recorded with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, and Rick Margitza. Elwood received his Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College, and his Masters of Music degree from Cal State Fullerton.

The jazz ensemble has audio samples to listen to on their website.