Daniel Lazzaretto, a 2024 PCM graduate, studied alto saxophone at PCM for seven years – the last two of which were with Danny Janklow. He is now a sophomore at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a focus on jazz studies. Recently, we caught up with Daniel to hear about his first year in college, as he reflects on PCM’s influence and what inspires him as a young jazz musician.

This interview was conducted on July 17, 2025.

How was your first year at UC Irvine? Any favorite memories?

It was pretty good, all things considered. I was nervous about starting something new, not being home in Pasadena, and having to meet new people, but it went well. I found a jazz community there, and my greatest memories were playing music with my new friends.

What has your experience been exploring jazz at UCI?

It’s been open. Because it’s a research university, a lot of the stuff that’s happening there is – at least for STEM majors – cutting-edge, research-focused, and professors who are writing papers for journal publications. For music, that translates interestingly because you get a lot of experimental art and experimental artists. So I had to take classical theory, and next year I’ll have to take some more theory and some history. But all of those teachers are contemporary musicians, so they’re taking what Bach was doing, what Mozart was doing, and the harmony in our textbook, then showing how you transfer that to modern music.

Did your experience at PCM help you in transitioning to studying music in college?

Definitely. PCM helped me build a foundation for playing with others, and having that etiquette has been helpful in college. There is a way of communicating with other people through music, which is a lot of what jazz is. So having opportunities to play with other people before college and then coming to college with that skill and familiarity was nice.

What was it like returning to PCM to assist with the summer Jazz Workshop?

It was interesting to see where I came from and kind of where a lot of us came from, in terms of not knowing what’s going on and just playing this music and figuring it out as you go. Seeing students in that situation and being able to relate to that was my biggest takeaway. I also thought about how to make the workshop a better experience for them, so that they feel more comfortable when they’re out of their comfort zone.

What are some of your goals right now as a musician?

I’m trying to improve my sight reading, because in jazz, you play a lot of stuff that’s in your head and not a lot that’s on the page. But for the future, I’m exploring composing and arranging. I’ve done a lot of playing, so now, I’d like to explore what I can do in terms of writing.

Are there any artists that you’re especially interested in right now?

For the past year, whenever anybody asked me who I’m listening to, it’s been Cannonball Adderley. He’s very interesting to me because he’s kind of who I’m most interested in becoming like. I like his tone, but I also like his philosophy, the music he made, and his ability to make connections with others through music. He has music that makes you feel good, and although he’s very technical, there’s still a raw, emotional quality to it that’s not just technique and notes. He puts soul into it.

What do you enjoy doing outside of music?

I want to get back into reading. I have many books on my shelf, music and non-music topics; and right now, I’m reading Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green. For music-related ones, there’s an interesting book called Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965 by David H. Rosenthal, which is the style that Cannonball Adderley played, and that might be the next book I read.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

One of the things I enjoyed at PCM was when I joined a jazz history class taught by the wonderful Dr. Briggs during COVID. The class helped me become more interested in jazz music by teaching me the context behind it. I think jazz needs a lot of context, with the history behind the styles and pioneers, so that was a wonderful and educational experience.