By Joan Garvin

Homestead High School senior Brady Cohan of Los Altos had an up close and personal view of the Grammy Awards last week. Cohan was selected as lead guitarist in the Grammy High School Jazz Ensemble, sponsored by Gibson Guitars, Baldwin Pianos and the Grammy Foundations in partnership with the Recording Academy.

Auditioning via videotape, Cohan was selected along with 23 other students representing 23 cities in nine states. He earned an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City, host of the 45th Grammy Awards ceremony.

Gibson/Baldwin scheduled a full eight-day program for the young musicians, providing them an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of some of the biggest names in the music industry and attend the Grammy Awards ceremony at Madison Square Garden.

In addition to performing at the Grammy Nominee Party at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, the group played at New York’s famous jazz clubs Knitting Factory and Jazz Standard and appeared on CBS’ “The Early Show.” They played at the historic Apollo Theater and gave a concert for young people at the French Institute/Alliance Francaise, as part of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the phonograph. The group recorded a CD at the Hit Factory.

Playing with prestigious jazz ensembles is not new for Cohan, a National Honor Society member at Homestead. He was the only guitarist selected for the Monterey Jazz Festival High School All-Star Band, which toured Japan after the festival. He is currently a member of the San Francisco High School Jazz Ensemble, which qualified for the Essentially Ellington competition last year for the best high school jazz bands in the nation.