Here is the 2012 Elon Jazz Festival lineup.
Watch for expanded festival lunch time performances and lectures 2/13-2/16. Registration forms and guidelines for visiting bands will be posted on this webpage in November. Don't miss this exciting opportunity for your jazz students.
All Events in McCrary Theater, Center for the Arts, Elon University. Jon Metzger, Festival Director The Complete 2012 Schedule will be posted after January 30, 2012.
For reference only, here is a copy of last year's festival schedule: Friday, February 18
Visiting Band Performance Critiques 10:30 a.m. Tune Squad (East Chapel Hill High School), Ryan Ellefsen, director 11:00 a.m. Truffle (East Chapel Hill High School), Ryan Ellefsen, director 11:30 a.m. Clinic: Jazz Improvisation, Understanding ii-V-I, Jon Metzger, facilitator 12:30 p.m. Grimsley High School Jazz Ensemble, Stefan Stuber, director 1:00 p.m. Lunch Break 2:30 p.m. Upper School Jazz Combo, Cary Academy, Eric Grush, director 3:00 p.m. Clinic: Sound Reinforcement for the Jazz Ensemble, Rick Earl, facilitator 4:00 p.m. Smithfield Middle School Jazz Ensemble, Bill holmes, director
10:30 a.m. Western Middle School Jazz Band, Patrick Bennington, director 11:00 a.m. Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble, Gregg Gelb, director 11:30 a.m. The Jazz Force, John Brown, director 12:00 p.m. Clinic: Jazz Piano Techniques, Per Danielsson, facilitator 1:00 p.m. Clinic: Jazz Trombone Techniques, Tom Brantley, facilitator 2:00 p.m. Lunch Break 3:00 p.m. Open Rehearsal: The Blue and Green Project, Jack Wilkins, facilitator 5:00 p.m. Break 7:30 p.m. Festival Concert featuring Jack Wilkins and The Blue and Green Project (with Tom Brantley, Per Danielsson, Jay Coble, Keith Oshiro, LaRue Nickelson, Scott Sawyer, Tamara Danielsson, Wayne Bennett, Matt Buckmaster, and Jon Metzger) Since its beginning 15 years ago with only a handful of participating bands, the festival has expanded into a two-day event and now includes performances from more than 15 visiting high school bands, nationally known clinicians, and special concerts by an all-festival big band and Elon's jazz ensembles together with guest soloists.
The guest artists have included Jack Wilkins, Howard Curtis, Steve Abshire, John Jensen, Bob Hallahan, Ira Wiggins, Thomas Taylor, Jae Sinnett, Ed Keifer, Glenn Cashman, Richard Roeder, Bruce Swaim, Tom Brantley, Per Danielsson, Andy Page, Wade Weast, Mark Clodfelter, and Skip Gailes. Other jazz artists who have performed and given classes at Elon include many of the best in the field such as Phil Markowitz, Allison Miller, Carroll Dashiell, Keith Waters, Ronnie Wells, Ron Elliston, James King, Mike Smith, Tommy Cecil, Ed Paolantonio, Ingrid Jensen, Tony Martucci, Mark Izu, Adam Rudolph, Joe Lovano, Keith Oshiro, Tamara Danielsson, Jay Coble, Scott Sawyer, Jim Ketch, Freddy Cole, LaRue Nickelson, and Mark Levine. Are you a high school band director interested in attending the Elon Jazz Festival? If so, email jmetzger@elon.edu for more information.
Beloved North Carolina native jazz drummer David Via dies.
The jazz community has been saddened by the loss of the widely respected jazz drummer and educator David Via, who died January 25, 2010 in Clearwater, FL from complications from various illnesses. He was 59.
A native of Mayodan, NC, David studied percussion with Keith Copeland and Terri Lynn Carrington. He performed with an extensive list of jazz artists including Mose Allison, Barney Kessell, Charlie Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, Pat Labarbera, Slide Hampton, Carol Sloane, David Baker, Al Grey, Buddy Tate, Nick Brignola, Jimmy Heath, Claudio Roditi, David Murray, Joe Lovano, Billy Taylor, Kenny Werner, Ira Sullivan, John Abercrombie, Jeff Berlin, Rufus Reid, Sheila Jordan, Ted Rosenthal, Larry Coryell, Frank Kimborough, and Conrad Herwig.
David toured extensively with vibraphonist Jon Metzger as part of the USIA Arts America Program in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. In the States, he performed at numerous festivals in Washington, DC, Spoleto in Charleston, SC, Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida. He also performed with the Billy Siegenfield Jump Rhythm Jazz Project of New York City which won an Emmy Award. He appeared on several recordings including pianist Ed Paolantonio’s Dedications (Paolo Productions); pianist Paul Tardiff’s Point of Departure (Millsound 100); Minas debut album (Blue Azul Records); and Jack Wilkins’ Artwork (Koch).
David taught at the University of South Florida in Tampa for eight years, and since 1997 he had taught at Jeff Berlin’s Players School of Music in Clearwater where he was endeared by hundreds of students and jazz musicians. A memorial tribute concert for David was held during the 14th Annual Elon University Jazz Festival from 4:30-6:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, 2010 in McCrary Theater in the Center for the Arts on the Elon University campus. Jazz musicians who knew and loved David from throughout North Carolina and as far away as Colorado and New Jersey gathered to pay tribute, including Sandy Blocker, Ron Brendle, Gregg Gelb, Kathy Gelb, John Hanks, Greg Hyslop, Matt Kendrick, Jim Ketch, Jon Metzger, Ed Paolantonio, Jim Roberts, Scott Sawyer, Jae Sinnett, Bruce Swaim, Keith Waters, and Craig Whittaker among many others. Former University Chaplain, Richard McBride, read remembrances.
|  Thomas Taylor |
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