RCC Jazz Faculty
Charlie Richard is a Professor of Music at Riverside City College, where he directs the college’s award-winning jazz program and teaches saxophone. During his tenure, he has also served as Department Chair and Interim Dean of Fine and Performing Arts. A Riverside native, Richard graduated from Ramona High School before attending Riverside City College, where he earned his Associate of Arts degree. He then completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at California State University, Los Angeles, and later pursued advanced study in jazz composition and saxophone at the University of Texas at Austin. He joined the RCC faculty in 1990.
Under Richard’s leadership, the RCC Jazz Ensembles have garnered extensive recognition, earning top honors at the Reno and Fullerton Jazz Festivals and multiple awards from the DownBeat Magazine Student Music Awards. As a graduate student at the University of Texas, he received the DownBeat award for Best Extended Original Jazz Composition. His album The Hawk’s Out, featuring his own compositions and arrangements, was named “Outstanding Big Band Recording of the Year” by New York’s Cadence Magazine in 1998, and a subsequent album by the Hawk-Richard Jazz Orchestra received enthusiastic critical acclaim. His works have been performed widely by a variety of ensembles, including a commissioned piece for the Dallas Wind Symphony. Richard has also been a longtime faculty member at the Idyllwild Arts Summer Jazz Camp and previously served as President of the California Unit of the International Association for Jazz Education. In 2018, he recorded more than one hundred instructional saxophone videos for the Musician’s Toolkit, and in 2019 he was honored as Riverside City College’s Alumnus of the Year.
Richard’s performance career includes work with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Saxophone Quartet, Orion Saxophone Quartet (of which he is a founding member), Long Beach Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, Redlands Symphony Orchestra, and Mark Masters Jazz Composers Orchestra. He has also performed with artists including Lou Rawls, The Temptations, The Four Tops, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Legends of Swing, and Doris Day.
Kevin Mayse currently directs the Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, co-directs the Evening Jazz Ensemble, teaches applied trumpet and serves as Chair for the Department of Music at Riverside City College.As a performer, Mr. Mayse has toured the United States and Japan with Keith Brion and the New Sousa Band, Vince DiMartino and the New Columbia Brass Band, and the California Gold Rush Band. Mr. Mayse was one of the founding members of the Huis Ten Bosch brass ensemble in Nagaski, Japan. Locally he has performed with the Riverside Civic Light Opera, the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera, The San Gabriel Civic Light Opera, the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey?s Circus, the Torrance Symphony, the Rio Hondo Symphony, the Cypress Pops Orchestra and numerous groups at Disneyland. He co leads and plays lead trumpet for the Evening Jazz Ensemble at Riverside City College. He also fronts his own professional big band which has performed with jazz greats Gary Foster, Bill Reichenbach, Marvin Stamm and Bobby Shew. Mr. Mayse has been the conductor of the California Pops Band which recorded with Sony Records (available only in Japan), The Hawk-Richard Jazz Orchestra which recorded with Sea Breeze records and one of California?s only professional concert bands, The Inland Empire Wind Symphony. He conducts both the Tribute to John Philip Sousa and Tribute to King Karl King honor bands in Riverside County and is very active as a Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble clinician.
Peter Curtis is a guitarist, composer and a tenured professor of music at Riverside City College in Riverside, California. He has performed or recorded with notable jazz musicians including Claudia Acuna, Lynn Arriale, Seamus Blake of the Mingus Big Band, Don Braden, James Carter, Freddy Cole, Barbra Morrison, James Moody, Eldad Tarmu and Ron Westray of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. With his group, the Peter Curtis Quartet, he recently released his debut album Swing State, which is available at cdbaby.com and on itunes. As a classical guitarist Peter has given recitals throughout the U.S. and Canada and was awarded the Andres Segovia memorial scholarship from the Banff Centre for the Arts. Some of his arrangements for classical guitar have been performed by guitarists as far abroad as Australia. He received his Bachelor of Music degree Magna Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music, a Masters of Music degree from Yale University, and a Doctor of Music in Classical Guitar Performance and Literature with minor fields in Ethnomusicology and Music History from Indiana University.
James Rocillo is an Associate Professor at Riverside City College in Riverside, CA.,where he directs the Community Concert Band, Lab Jazz Ensemble I and the world famous Riverside City College Marching Tigers. Rocillo has been on the brass staff for the Blue Devils A Corps since 2008 and has been a part of 7 DCI Championships (2009,2010,2012,204,2015, 2017,2019) and three Jim Ott Awards (2008,2010,2014). Rocillo earned his Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing from the University of Phoenix in February of 2008 and his Masters Degree in Education from National University in May of 2013. He resides in Eastvale, CA with his wife Sara and their son Miles and their dogs Aki and Coltrane.
Steve Schmidt was raised in Riverside, California. He began studying percussion at California State University, Fullerton under the tutelage of Todd Miller. After receiving a Bachelor of Music in Percussion Performance from CSU, Fullerton, Steven went on to earn a Master of Music in Percussion Performance from the University of Southern California, studying percussion with Erik Forrester and composition with Stephen Hartke and Frederick Lesemann. Steven has received commissions for compositions from Riverside Community College, the University of California, Riverside Department of Theater, the California State University, Fullerton Clarinet Ensemble, the Irvine Valley College Wind Ensemble, Upland High School and the University of Southern California Theater Department, for whom he composed music for their 1994 production of Bertold Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle. His wind ensemble composition Spin has been performed by Riverside Community College, the California Music Academy, the University of Northern Arizona, Washington State University and numerous high schools. His latest works Southern California Portrait for wind ensemble and Helios for jazz ensemble were recently premiered by the Riverside City College Performing Arts Department. Mr. Schmidt's performances include a recording of Edgar Varese' Ionisation with the Ensemble Modern (a recording produced by Frank Zappa) and the soundtrack to Mr. Holland's Opus starring Richard Dreyfuss. Steven has also performed with the Orange County Pacific Symphony, the Capistrano Valley Symphony, the Southwest Chamber Symphony, Downey Civic Light Opera, Costa Mesa CLO and South Bay CLO. Additionally, Steven has participated in many independently contracted performances with artists such as Peabo Bryson, Ray Charles, Shirley Jones, Bernadette Peters, Don Rickles, Peter Setera, Doc Severinson and Dionne Warwick.
Christine Araoka is a composer, performer, and educator from Southern California. She began her piano studies early on with her mother, then picked up choir and percussion in high school. After discovering jazz during her senior year, she pursued jazz piano as well as classical piano and percussion at Riverside City College under the mentorship of Charles Richard, Joel Paat, Judy Johansen and Steven Schmidt. Following, she studied under the mentorship of GRAMMY-Award Winning pianist Bill Cunliffe, pianist Alison Edwards, and established studio musician Francisco Torres at California State Fullerton, graduating Cum Laude in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies and Performance. She will also be receiving her Master’s Degree in Composition this fall from Azusa Pacific University under the mentorship of Phil Shackleton and Mark Gasbarro.
Jeffrey Benedict is a part-time member of the RCC Music Department. he teaches saxophone, jazz improvisation and jazz appreciation. He has also been a member of the California State University Los Angeles Department of Music faculty since 1989. Dr. Benedict teaches saxophone and courses in jazz studies. He also is currently serving as the Undergraduate Student Advisor for the department. Benedict has been playing professionally since 1972. He is highly regarded both as a jazz and classical saxophone performer and teacher. Benedict has performed and recorded with a who?s who of music luminaries, including: Phil Woods, Harold Danko, Marvin Stamm, Gary Burton, Dave Brubeck, Gene Ramey, Kelleye Grey, Susie Stern, Estrella Acosta, Donna Menthol, Bob Mintzer, Diane Schuur, Randy Brecker, Mike Nock, Bill Watrous, Nick Brignola, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Jim Pugh, Bobby Shew, Eddie Daniels, Butch Miles, Vincent DiMartino, Eddie Harris, Jack Wilkins, Jimmy Heath, Wynton Marsalis, Allen Vizzutti, Claudio Roditi, Mark Whitfield, Slide Hampton, Nick Brignola, Carl Fontana, Lew Soloff, Ernie Watts, Bob Mintzer, Joe Williams, Jiggs Whigham and Curtis Fuller. Benedict has recorded two jazz albums under his own name on theResurgent Music label, Castle Creek Shuffle and Standard Fare, and was a sideman on a recent release by the critically-acclaimed Hawk-Richard Jazz Orchestra entitled The Hawk's Out. He is currently a regular member of the HMA Salsa-Jazz Orchestra. Jeff is an accomplished classical musician as well, having performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Aspen Festival Orchestra, the Aspen Chamber Symphony, the Denver Symphony, the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, the Quad City Symphony, and the Augustana Orchestra. He has premiered many new works for Saxophone, including Smoke and Mirrors for Solo Saxophone by John Kennedy, Peter Terry's Into Light for Soprano/Alto Saxophone and Chamber Orchestra with computer-generated tape, and the Midwest premiere of David Amram's Ode to Lord Buckley. He is a founding member of the Orion Saxophone Quartet, Which has recently released a CD on the Centaur Records label.
Jody Fisher was born in South Bend, Indiana and spent most of his childhood years moving throughout the country. His father, a successful radio broadcasting figure, and his mother an actress, provided the creative environment that allowed him to pursue his avid interest in both music and the guitar. By age eleven, Jody was taking lessons in the Chicago area. During this time, he also studied with his uncle, jazz guitarist Sid Fisher who had spent many years as an RCA recording artist. After moving to the West Coast as a teenager, Jody continued taking lessons with some of the top players living in the Los Angeles area, including, Herb Ellis, John Collins, and Louis Speigner. It was during these years that he also attended The Stan Kenton Music Clinics. Jody eventually began studying with guitarist/bassist, George Stanley, who started bringing him to gigs and introducing him to other players. From this point on, Jody made a steady living playing the guitar. As a performer, Jody has played virtually every style of music professionally. He has played many important venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and Universal Amphitheater. Today, he is primarily known as a jazz artist living in the Southern California area and has recently worked all over the United States, Canada, England and Germany. His newest CD, Impromptu, has received critical acclaim. Jody has published over twenty instructional books about jazz guitar with Alfred Publishing, Workshop Arts Publications, and Mel Bay Publications. Four of his books have appeared in the Smithsonian Institute's Folkways Exhibition in Washington, DC. In addition Jody has written for most of the major guitar magazines, including Guitar Player, Just Jazz Guitar and Finger Style Guitar. As an educator, Jody has held the positions of Professor of Jazz and Studio Guitar at the University of Redlands, in Redlands, CA, the University of La Verne, in La Verne, CA, and the Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (ISOMATA), in Idyllwild, CA. In addition, he has also served as Associate Director of the National Guitar Workshop as well as Director of the Workshop's Jazz Summit in the early years of that program. Jody continues to conduct seminars and clinics all over the country.
Alex Henderson is a Southern California native who has been playing trombone professionally for nearly three decades. He attended Riverside City College and California State Los Angeles where he majored in music. Henderson has performed with multiple artists such as Tito Puente, No Doubt, Green Day, LeAnn Rimes, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Wayne Newton, Burt Bacharach, Michael Bublé, and James Darren. For four years he was a touring member with Poncho Sanchez before joining well-known swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. On the road for more than 100 days a year, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy participates in pops programs of the American Symphony Orchestra, which includes the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony. The band has appeared on several television shows such as Dancing with the Stars, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O?Brien, and the Today Show. When he is not touring with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Henderson freelances regularly with local orchestras, rock and salsa bands, big bands, and jazz groups.
Nick Ornelas is an educator and freelance bassist living in Southern California. As a performer, he has performed with jazz, blues, R&B and World Music artists all over the world and the U.S. Nick has recorded, contracted and produced dozens of studio albums as well as recording bass for film, TV and video games. Nick has taught at Cypress College, Orange County School of the Arts and is currently a full time elementary and middle school music teacher.
Nick has studied music at RCC, the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB and studied education at CSU San Bernardino.
Jessica Ragsdale is a jazz drummer in the LA area known for her compelling groove, vibrant sound, and her perceptive musical interactions. She has a BM in Jazz/Commercial Music from California State University Fullerton and has had the pleasure of studying closely with Jeff Hamilton, Bill Cunliffe, and Paul Kreibich. She has also had the opportunity to work with and share the stage with great musicians such as John Clayton, Bob Mintzer, Gary Foster, George Cables, Wayne Bergeron, Francisco Torres, and Freda Payne. In addition to jazz, Jessica has had the pleasure of performing in musicals with Performance Riverside, touring China with the Hollywood Pops Orchestra, and performing with several different groups throughout Disneyland. When not performing she can be found giving masterclasses and adjudicating at various jazz festivals in Southern California and she has the honor of traveling the world as the road manager for the legendary Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Steven Ragsdale is a saxophonist actively performing in various jazz, rock, pop, and classical environments. Steven has had the opportunity to study with Jeff Ellwood, Charlie Richard, Bill Cunliffe, Francisco Torres, Kye Palmer, George Cables, and James R?tter. He is currently a member of several ensembles performing in Southern California, including Fresh Rhythm, Eleventy, Slang, Mercy Stone, zzaj, and Noir Saxophone Quartet. Ragsdale graduated from California State University Fullerton with an MM in jazz performance as well as a BA in music education. As a teacher, he works with young students, both privately and as a regular clinician for various local schools. Ragsdale plays on Eastman 52nd street horns.
