At age 18, most would say that Jacob Veloo has had an interesting experience from life thus far. Growing up as a world traveler because of the nature of his father’s work as a metallurgist, he frequently visited and lived in foreign countries such as Indonesia, Australia, Egypt, Turkey, and Singapore.  His family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah when Jacob was 13 years old however, and, as a multitude of musical opportunities presented themselves, he quickly took them.

Jacob owes his entrance into the music industry to Dan Whitley of the Notable Youth Foundation in Draper, Utah. He first taught Jacob his major, minor, and blues scales and quickly found him a spot in his classic rock bands playing with much older players and doing gigs everywhere from sports events to children’s fun centers. He also introduced Jacob to the art of recording and provided many opportunities for Jacob to record his work. When Jacob was 14, Dan first suggested that Jacob should pursue lessons with the professor of Jazz Studies and Saxophone at Brigham Young University, Dr. Ray Smith.

Thanks to Dr. Smith’s teaching, Jacob began to voraciously take to jazz. He began to listen extensively and eventually gig around the valley and record with some of the best musicians in town. In the summer of 2005 he was asked by the 2nd alto of the Crescent Super Band, Aldo Arnone, to sub for him for the summer and he readily agreed because the Super Band was known for being the best high school aged big band in the country. After that summer, Jacob’s life would never be the same.

For the next 3 years, the Crescent Super Band (Directed by Caleb Chapman, founder of The Music School in American Fork, Utah) became one of the highest priorities in Jacob’s life. He was given the opportunity to perform, study, and record with talented musicians and personal idols such as Jane Monheit, Jeff Coffin, Christian McBride, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, and Ernie Watts. With the Super Band, Jacob toured to New York twice, one time headlining the opening night concert at International Association of Jazz Education Conference and the other performing a full 3 hour set at the Manhattan Jazz Club Sweet Rhythm. He has also performed with the Super Band and Park City All-Star Combo (a scholarship group of high school musicians in combo format that performs a set with a guest artist) at the Park City Jazz Festival 3 years in a row. Jacob has also had the opportunity to tour Europe with Super Band, playing in the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Umbria Jazz Festival Italy, the Vienne Jazz Festival in France and numerous other smaller venues with the Music School’s Random Abstract Super Combo. Last year, the Super Band won the Downbeat Magazine Best Performing Big Band Award with their CD East Coast Envy.

Jacob Veloo has accumulated accolades from all the local Jazz Festivals and has had the lead alto position in the Allstate Jazz Band 3 years in a row and has played lead alto and lead tenor in Crescent Super Band over 3 years. As a member of the Crescent Super Band saxophone section he is also recognized as a VanDoren Artist. In the spring of 2008 he was awarded a Scholarship to Berklee School of Music in Boston amounting to over $70,000. As most would definitely say, Jacob Veloo has already had an interesting and rewarding time with the business and art of music.