Jazz Studies, Jazz in American Culture, Jazz Ensemble
Educator/woodwind specialist Frederick (Keith) Fiddmont moved to Los Angeles in 1991 after leaving the legendary vibraphonist Lionel Hampton to begin a two-year stint with singer Rickie Lee Jones. He has recorded or performed live with such legends as Stevie Wonder, Luis Miguel, Diana Krall, Christian McBride, Marcus Miller, James Brown, The Temptations, Jennifer Holliday, Natalie Cole, Nancy Wilson, and B.B. King (Grammy award winning One Kind Favor), as well as gifted artists like Wayne Brady, Billy Childs, Queen Latifah, Michael Buble, and John Pizzarelli. As a freelancer, he has performed with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Bob Mintzer Big Band, the Ed Neumeister Big Band, the Luckman Jazz Orchestra, and the Southeast Orchestra. He is currently featured on Phil Ranelin’s Tribe Renaissance Live!
Keith has been a member of the award winning Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for the past twelve years. The group’s recent credits include “The Big Band Bash” with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, and the Benny Golson 80th Birthday Celebration at the Kennedy Center. Keith joined the music faculty of Santa Monica College as an adjunct in 1996 and became a full-time faculty member in the Fall of 2010. In addition to SMC, Keith has worked as the Jazz and Commercial Music Coordinator for the Orange County High School of the Arts since 2008.