Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour feeling festive

Bria Skonberg's renown is growing in the jazz world as a trumpet player, singer, composer and educator on the international scene. She's critically acclaimed, based on her clear and resonant voice and a warm, burning style on the horn that has echoes of the swing era. The British Columbia native, now based in New York City, has a very busy solo career.

But she bubbled with anticipation recently at her opportunity to join the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, a group of young musicians featuring Cecile McLorin Salvant, Melissa Aldana, Christian Sands, Yasushi Nakamura and Jamison Ross. The band makes a stop at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Tuesday. The 31-day tour has 26 concerts in 16 states and Alberta, Canada, ending in the middle of April.

Skonberg got involved through Tim Jackson, who works with the Monterey festival, and Danny Melnick of Absolutely Live Entertainment, who produces this tour and also the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival.

"I've worked for those guys in a couple different capacities," she said. "They invited me to be a part of it. I knew a few people who were invited. Of course, I wanted to be a part of it. It's an awesome musical opportunity."

Skonberg is no stranger to the area, having performed at the Saratoga festival, as well as being featured last year at the Canfield Casino in the inaugural Jazz Fest Friday on the eve of the festival. ("I really enjoyed that. It's such a beautiful, cool venue," she said. "We had a blast there.")

The entire Monterey band is outstanding. Salvant is one of the finest singers on the scene, having won best jazz vocal album Grammy Awards for her last three releases — "The Window" (2018), "Dreams and Daggers" (2017) and "For One to Love" (2015). Saxophonist Melissa Aldana of Santiago, Chile, in 2013 became the first female and the first South American ever to...