Esperanza

Coach: Doug Kimberly (11th year). 1995: 14-15, 4-1 in Sunset League; lost to Costa Mesa, 9-6, in the semifinals of the Division II playoffs. Key returners: Elliot Lee, driver, Sr.; Brian Mericle, two-meter man, Sr.; Sherman Shen, driver, Sr.; Chad Simendinger, driver, Sr.; Bob Waltz, two-meter defender, Sr. Key newcomers: Joe Doty, driver, Jr.; Cory Jobst, two-meter man, Jr.; Matt Schoeneman, goalkeeper, Jr.; Travis Vayssie, two-meter man, Jr. Outlook: It's not wise to overlook Esperanza.

With Los Angeles steadily filling with music royalty for this weekend's Grammy Awards and the many parties and performances in its orbit, Wayne Shorter led a show that served as a celebration of its own at Disney Hall on Saturday night. Featuring the same quartet behind Shorter's justly lauded new live album "Without a Net" (his first recording for Blue Note Records in 43 years), the show partly felt like a curtain call for a man who's become the biggest story in jazz this year.

Mark Alleman and Mike Allison each had 17 kills Friday to help Esperanza defeat Valencia, 15-7, 15-11, 15-10, and clinch its fourth consecutive Empire League championship. Jason Klems added 16 kills for the Aztecs (12-2, 8-0), who are ranked sixth in the county.

Swim with whale sharks this winter in the Gulf of California on a new sea life program organized by Esperanza , an Auberge Resort in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico 's Baja California. The program, which continues through March, takes place near La Paz, where the whale sharks feed on plankton in the rich breeding grounds of the Gulf of California, also called the Sea of Cortez. The eight-hour sea life trip is one of several new marine adventure programs offered at Esperanza.

Temitope Sonuyi rushed for 227 yards and Greg Farrell passed for 251 as sixth-ranked Esperanza made a statement in the most convincing fashion Thursday. One week after a second-half embarrassment that cost them a victory, the Aztecs defeated Fallbrook, the top-ranked team in San Diego County, 42-23. "They're better than [Orange County's top-ranked] Mater Dei," said Fallbrook Coach Randy Blankenship, his team having lost to Mater Dei two weeks ago, 28-21. "We got our hats handed to us."

Don't take it too hard, Esperanza. Even though your beloved baseball team lost its semifinal game, 6-0, to Long Beach Millikan on Tuesday, the dreary fog of failure can be broken with a bit of positive thinking: Hey, the Aztecs looked great during that pregame warm - up, didn't they? Weren't those infield sprints something else? And what about those synchronized practice swings? It's not as if the fans were the only ones to notice. Millikan's players pointed it out, too.

Erin Sieper finished first in two individual events and was part of two winning relays as Esperanza defeated Los Alamitos, 121-49, in Sunset League girls' swimming Monday at Esperanza. The Los Alamitos boys' team beat Esperanza, 91-79. The score was unofficial, though, pending results of the diving competition. Sieper, a junior, won the 200 individual medley in 2 minutes 9.36 seconds, and was first in the 100 butterfly in 59.18.

Sophomore center Ashley Smith made a four-foot bank shot for the winning basket with seven seconds to play as Esperanza beat Walnut, 44-42, Friday for fifth place in the Chino Hills Ayala girls' basketball tournament. Junior center Bethany Blair led Esperanza (10-4) with 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Sophomore guard Ashley Van Kurin had 12 points and three steals. Walnut is 8-5.

The scoreboard indicated a lopsided victory for Esperanza over Long Beach Jordan, 39-17, but Aztec Coach Gary Meek wasn't completely comfortable Thursday at Valencia High. Sure, there were plenty of bright spots. Esperanza (3-1), ranked ninth in the county, piled up the points against Jordan (0-4), using a punishing ground attack, with Jamie Smith rushing for four touchdowns and 144 yards in 14 carries and Brent Garrison adding 96 yards and a touchdown in 15 carries.

The records--Loara 3-0, Esperanza 3-0. The site--Bradford Stadium (Valencia H.S.). Loara update--The Saxons are off to one of the best starts in school history. Lineman Danny Rovira and linebacker Brian Roberts are two reasons that Loara is one of only two teams in the CIF Southern Section that have not allowed a point in three games. The fine play of the defense has taken pressure off the offense, particularly an inexperienced line.

Grammy-winning bassist and bandleader Esperanza Spalding can add TV host to her resume with the announcement that she will be hosting a new weekly music show on Magic Johnson's new Aspire network. Spalding joins actor Laurence Fishburne and comic Jonathan Slocumb on the network's roster for a series called "Groundbreaking," which will feature weekly programming dedicated to movies, comedy and music. Spalding's first episode of "Groundbreaking Music" airs Friday at 8 p.m. with "Earth Wind and Fire Live," and future specials will highlight performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dorothy Dandridge.  One of the best known jazz artists working today as a result of a surprise best new artist win at the 2011 Grammy Awards, Spalding has appeared in a number of high-profile settings including a date performing at the White House and a stirring performance at this year's Oscars . Spalding's 2012 follow-up to her Grammy win, "Radio Music Society," went to No. 1 on the contemporary jazz charts for several weeks.

This post has been corrected. Please see note at the bottom for details. Going into Wednesday night's show at the Hollywood Bowl with Anita Baker and Esperanza Spalding, it was hard not to wonder if a more interesting (and surely bolder) bill could have developed if only the headliner and opener were reversed. The headliner, Anita Baker, is one of the key artists associated with the "quiet storm" sound, a smooth, down-tempo varietal of late-night R&B that became a radio format with artists such as Sade and the late Luther Vandross in the '80s.

Jazz bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding made a news splash when she beat out pop phenom Justin Bieber for the new artist trophy at the 53rd Grammy Awards last year. Spalding, 27, and her Radio Music Society ensemble come to Southern California this month for an Aug. 21 performance at San Diego's Humphreys Concerts by the Bay and an Aug. 22 double bill with Anita Baker at the Hollywood Bowl. How did your Grammy change your life? Did it change your life? Everything I do is pretty much the same as it was; we tour like we used to. But the venues are bigger.

Los Angeles-area jazz fans looking for a reason to escape our hottest months will have ample reasons to trek north on the Golden State Freeway beginning in August with the recently announced lineup of the 30th annual San Francisco Jazz Festival. Less of a traditional festival than it is the fall to winter programming season for SFJAZZ, the city's year-round jazz presenting organization, the festival is the last before the much-anticipated opening of the multi-million dollar SFJAZZ Center, which is scheduled to open onMartin Luther King Jr.Dayin 2013.

MUSIC Unfortunately on the cusp of being considered less of an individual artist and more of an avatar for an entire genre since her headline-grabbing win at the 2011 Grammys, Esperanza Spalding shifts the focus back to her unique vision with a concert from the much-anticipated follow-up, "Radio Music Society. " Those who pinned their hopes on Spalding as the savior of jazz may alter their expectations based on the album, which merges jazz with liberal helpings of funk, pop and R&B with guests that include vocalist Algebra Blesset.

Fresno State-bound center fielder Nick Villar is on a hitting tear for Lake Forest El Toro, and there's not much opposing pitchers can do these days to cool him off. He had a double, two singles and two runs batted in on Wednesday night to help the Chargers defeat Anaheim Esperanza, 9-6, in a semifinal game of the Hard 9 National Classic at Cal State Fullerton. El Toro (19-2) scored eight runs in the first two innings to take an 8-0 lead and earn a spot in Thursday's 7:30 p.m. championship game against Placentia El Dorado (11-5)

For most of its Southern Section Division I playoff opener against Mission Viejo at Valencia High Friday night, Esperanza looked as if it would never get that old monkey off its back. The Aztecs had not won a Division I playoff game in school history, and, though they have been a dominant team in the Sunset League over the past four years, they always seemed to find a way to take an early exit in the postseason.

Coach: Mike Curran (15th year). 1994: 14-13 overall, 8-7 in the Empire League. Lost to eventual champion Fountain Valley, 8-6, in Division I second round. Key returners: Bryan Bingham, OF, Jr.; Bo Bryant, OF/1B, Jr.; Ryan Johnson, P, So.; James Monteverde, 2B, Sr.; Greg Smith, 1B/DH, Jr.; Brian Snapp, P, Jr.; Chris Stretch, C, Sr.; Jeremy Viscusi, OF Sr.; Jason Webb, 3B, Sr.; Jeremy Woolston, P/OF, Sr. Key newcomers: Brian Cacciatori, C, Jr.; Brian Kaylor, 1B, Jr.; David Parrish, C, So.