After listening to a solo recording by American jazz saxophonist John Coltrane during his junior year in high school, Tim Lin said he was pulled in by the wonders of jazz and immediately loved it, practicing non-stop to improve his skills. Read more...

Photo:

courtesy of AMANDA HAAS
The Tim Lin Jazz Quintet includes UCLA students Tim Lin (second from the right) on tenor sax, Colin McDaniel (left) on drums, Owen Clapp (second from left) on bass, Kiefer Shackelford (center) on piano and Zach Ramacier on trumpet.

When renowned jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell heard about Duke Ellington in college, he said that Ellington's music and life gave him the encouragement to be consistent throughout the years with his music, writing and teaching. Read more...

Photo:

Courtesy of Pamela Springsteen/UCLA
On Saturday, UCLA Live will honor jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell with the “80 Years Young” concert celebration, featuring performances from more than 100 classical, jazz and blues musicians.

Ethnomusicology doctoral student Jessie Vallejo said that she knew for years that she wanted to go to UCLA to learn about her heritage through mariachi music. Read more...

Photo:

Courtesy of ROMEO P. GUZMAN
Mariachi de Uclatlán will be performing with Grupo Folklórico de UCLA today as part of the Fowler Out Loud music series.

Some believe that the music industry is one of the most difficult businesses to succeed in, with artists having to do everything from writing lyrics and finding melodies to spreading the word about their music. Read more...

Photo: Courtesy of ALISON FRIED UCLA alumnus Don Griffin, the founder and owner of West L.A. Music, right, poses with Steven Tyler, lead singer of the band Aerosmith.