Long Beach City College music majors formed a band over the summer made of four guitarists, a bassist, a drummer and a saxophonist from different musical backgrounds.
The Jazz Book Club was started by Josh Shetland, Will Cardoza, Tyler Chlapecka and Idris Sol Perez as an effort to better their craft as musicians. What started as a group of four members eventually became a seven-member band.
“People crave music, and we just want to play,” Tyler Chlapecka, a founder of Jazz Book Club, said when asked what drives the band to practice.
From left to right, Josh Shetland, Tyler Chlapecka, Idris Sol Perez, Amber Cabello, Jack James, Alex Vega and William Gutiérrez sit together on a bench at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California, on Sept. 16. These 7 music majors make up the band Jazz Book Club. (Isaiah Ryan)
Chlapecka is one of the band’s lead guitarists with a background in math rock, one of many genres that each member of the group specializes in.
Although they have seven official members, many other students and alumni play and practice with them on and off, further expanding upon the jazz and swing catalogue they play.
Although the band primarily plays jazz pieces, they don’t limit themselves to a single genre.
From top left in a clockwise direction, Jack James, Tyler Chlapecka, William Gutiérrez, Alex Vega, Amber Cabello, Idris Sol Perez and Josh Shetland look down at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California on Sept. 16. (Isaiah Ryan) These 7 music majors make up the band Jazz Book Club.
“We’re able to play different tunes that you wouldn’t normally be able to hear,” Cardoza said.
Their name comes from a typical book club’s function, where “you get the chart, read it on your own and bring it to the class,” Cardoza said.
With each member of the band having vastly different musical backgrounds, which range from from classic crooner to midwest-emo, each member puts their own spin on the music that they play.
“Everyone can bring something from their background to make us sound more unique,” Shetland said.
Members of the Jazz Book Club (Upper left clockwise: Jack James, Tyler Chlapecka, William Gutiérrez, Alex Vega, Idris Sol Perez, and Josh Shetland) huddle together and look down at the camera as laughter breaks out during a slow-shutter portrait at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, California, on Sept. 16, 2025. (Isaiah Ryan)
Ranging from ages 18 to 34, the band members bring diverse influences to their music, including their drummer, who served as an ex-marine with drumline experience.
“As we’re moving into an AI future, the creativity of people is becoming more important, live music is a gateway to that,” Shetland said when asked about what personally drives him to grow as a musician.
The band stays connected with the community, aiming to grow the jazz scene within Long Beach while drawing inspiration from the bustling punk scene.
“Something about performing music with other people in front of an audience just makes you feel alive,” Chlapecka said.
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