Community High Jazz lost someone central to its being yesterday (3/13/25): Mike Grace. This pioneering jazz educator was Community High Jazz from 1980 to 2008, giving everything he had to the students here. He was a true one-of-a-kind, guiding, encouraging, and leading students to explore this special, challenging music at a time when even the collegiate world was only waking up to jazz education beyond a handful of universities. Hal Galper stated it perfectly when he said part of Mike’s genius was having the kids perform all of the time, where real learning takes place, and we still follow this model today. His influence has rippled to the ends of the earth, and it is hard to fathom that he has left us. His legacy is unique, broad, and deep. Our hearts go out to his wife (and former CHS teacher), Cheryl, daughter, Lindsay, and son, Perrin, as well as all of his close friends and fellow musicians.