Full Schedule

Research Description: Lou Donaldson, a legendary alto saxophonist, shaped the sound of hard bop and soul jazz. This presentation explores his vibrant career, groundbreaking recordings, and lasting impact. It'll highlight his mentorship of future jazz greats, including George Benson and Grant Green, celebrating Donaldson's role in advancing jazz and discovering remarkable talent.

Research Description: In this Research Presentation, I will be connecting my artistic practices to the musical and societal contributions of my great-great grandfather, Professor James Brown Humphrey. A 19th Century cornetist and music educator who has been recognized my some researchers as the "Grandfather of Jazz."

Research Description: This presentation explores how New York City's jazz community adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the resilience of musicians and clubs through livestreaming, new technologies, and grassroots support. It draws parallels to the 1918 pandemic and reaffirms jazz’s enduring role as a force for creativity and community.

Research Description: Dave Brubeck's early collective Octet was inspired by the teachings of Modernist Darius Milhaud. This analysis of the Octet's body of work will address how Brubeck, and the other composers in the collective, applied Modernist compositional techniques to arrangements of jazz standards in unique and exciting ways.

Research Description: The purpose of this presentation is to compare Jelly Roll Morton’s published sheet music to his autograph manuscripts and contextualize these documents within his professional life.

Research Description: This research highlights how Creole culture in New Orleans has had an immense impact on the development of jazz. Functions of Creole identity, cultural values, and heritage will be demonstrated to be foundational in how jazz has developed as a specific genre that uniquely blends multiple cultural perspectives.

Research Description: The left hand comping techniques used by Wynton Kelly, Hank Jones, Bud Powell, Herbie Hancock, and Bill Evans during their solos are transcribed and analyzed. Voicings, rhythmic usage, and roles of the comping are identified and implementation strategies are presented.

Research Description: This study explores how South Korean musicians received and reimagined African diasporic jazz during the postwar era, adapting it into localized forms through performance for Black GIs and U.S. military media. It introduces The Korean Tinge to describe this reinterpretation as a catalyst for sonic modernity and early K-pop foundations.

Research Description: In this presentation, I will share my experiences from teaching jazz in China for nine years, and suggest approaches to address challenges of distance (temporal, geographical and cultural) and issues of classroom diversity through contemporary education methods, teaching alternate and micro-histories and utilization of technology.

Research Description: The goal of this investigation was to uncover stereotyping effects through gendered visual representations of jazz performers in tthree conditions. Results indicated a highly significant interaction between visual condition and participant sex, a significant main effect of musical aspect and musicians’ sex.

Research Description: This research presentation studies the evolution, and impact of nationally-recognized organizations that work to support women in jazz. Research focuses on groups from the 1970s through the present day that work to recover overlooked women in jazz history, foster mentorship opportunities, and advocate for equity in the greater jazz community.

Research Description: Explores The Global Influences That Shaped American Jazz From The 1970s Through 2000, Including Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Indian, Balkan, And African Traditions. Highlights Key Figures, Cross-Cultural Collaborations, And Jazz’s Role In Responding To A Globalizing World.

Research Description: This project examines the musical style, career, and influence of jazz trombonist Bennie Green, highlighting his distinct voice in the development of mid-20th-century jazz. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Green blended elements of swing, bebop, and rhythm and blues, creating a warm, melodic, and accessible sound that set him apart.

Research Description: This research explores North American jazz elements and their influence on the Dominican Republic's music and culture. It discusses African musical characteristics brought to New Orleans by Haitians, and how these topics relate to those found in Dominican merengue, understanding the relationship between African, North American, and Caribbean rhythms.

Research Description: How can transcription produce new musical compositions? I explore the cross-temporal nature of transcriptions resulting in new compositions. I focus on Geri Allen’s original composition “Dolphy’s Dance,” which builds on Allen’s transcriptions of Eric Dolphy. After Heller, I theorize “Dolphy’s Dance” as a "retrospective collaboration" between Allen, Dolphy, and others.

Research Description: Dr. Andrew Schiller Shares His Analyses of the Collaborative Accompaniment Techniques Deployed by Bassist Scott LaFaro with the Bill Evans Trio, Illuminating the Group’s Role in the Evolution of Ensemble Interplay and Demonstrating How the Bassist’s Specific Conversational Methods Contribute to the Trio’s Concept of Simultaneous Improvisation.

Research Description: This presentation examines how integrating jazz concepts—such as harmony, improvisation, and phrasing—into popular guitar curricula can broaden students’ musical fluency. By leveraging stylistic familiarity, educators can cultivate deeper artistic engagement, promote versatility, and introduce jazz as a meaningful and accessible extension of contemporary guitar study.

Performance Description: Conventional Jazz Band charts from 1940's through today. A variety of Big Band genre coverage. Woody Herman, Al Cohn, and Sebesky, are among the few of the composers and arrangements covered. Various soloists, styles, and full coverage of the Jazz idiom. Guest artist from the Sacramento area representing our City.

Performance Description: Trumpeter and composer Rachel Therrien brings fiery brilliance to the stage with her Latin Jazz Project, featuring music from her eighth album, Mi Hogar II. Graduate of Havana’s Instituto Superior de Arte and a leading voice in global jazz, Therrien delivers high-octane originals and vibrant takes on Latin jazz classics.

Performance Description: Preservation Hall Jazz Band brings to life the powerful soundtrack of A Tuba to Cuba, the critically acclaimed documentary directed by T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch. You’ll hear how Cuban rhythms mix with the brass band style of New Orleans to create something powerful, fun, and unique.

Performance Description: Ted Nash's Presidential Suite: Eight Variations on Freedom is a Grammy-winning jazz suite inspired by iconic 20th-century political speeches on freedom. Each movement transforms the rhythms and cadences of speeches by leaders like JFK, FDR, and Mandela into expressive big band compositions, blending history and music.

Clinic Description: This clinic presents a framework for teaching jazz history that breaks from the hegemony of a dominant timeline. By teaching jazz history with thematic organization, one has the ability to maximize class time, lead more robust and relevant discussions, and better contextualize the music and musicians.

Performance Description: Central Washington University Jazz Band I is the premiere instrumental jazz ensemble at CWU. This group focuses on performance of big band literature of the past fifty years, focusing on composers such as Mary Lou Williams, Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Slide Hampton, Jim McNeely, Maria Schneider, and others.

Performance Description: Small Esemble 
7 students from the Memphis Jazz Workshop

Clinic Description: While the guitar is a staple of modern jazz, its role within the jazz band is often under-explored in educational settings. This session will provide a comprehensive approach to integrating guitar into the rhythm section, addressing its harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic functions as practical resources for performers and band directors.

Clinic Description: Overcome string program challenges – no rhythm section, limited jazz knowledge – with this practical "dual-track" model. Learn to foster creativity through jazz integration, managed by a single teacher. Arranging insights, backing track methods, and rhythm section techniques (bowing styles such as chops) will be shared.

Performance Description: Sound Invention showcases vocal jazz charts from the big band era and traditional jazz styles, highlighting diverse composers and arrangers. Performing with a jazz combo and a cappella, the ensemble blends rich harmonies and dynamic rhythms, offering a vibrant tribute to classic and contemporary jazz traditions.

Clinic Description: Drawing on Transcriptions, Interviews, and My Experiences as a Musical Director for an AME Zion Church in NY, This Clinic Presents Gospel Keyboard Techniques, Including Chord Voicings, Progressions, and Harmonic Concepts. It Also Demonstrates How Engaging With These Methods Can Inform Approaches to Reharmonization, Improvisation, and Composition Within Jazz Frameworks.

Performance Description: The words “Jazz Fundamentals” typically evoke thoughts of chords, scales, technique, theory, iconic recordings and musicians, syncopated rhythms, history, and styles. But the fundamentals in this piece instead look to some of the underlying human characteristics contributing to the ongoing creation of jazz music.

Clinic Description: Like Dogs Sniffing to Find Compatible Pack Members, Jazz Musicians Use Sitting In as Their Primal Interview Process. This Session Serves Both Sides: Helping New Players Join the Pack While Teaching Bandleaders to Create Better Musical Territory for Discovery.

Clinic Description: Working with rhythm section players doesn't have to be daunting for those who don't play a rhythm instrument! University of Tennessee faculty Denin Slage-Koch (guitar), Taber Gable (piano), Jon Hamar (bass), and Keith Brown (drums) offer insight into how to help young rhythm section players without being one yourself.

Performance Description: HMS will perform music in a variety of styles and grade levels to make it both educational and entertaining for educators and audience members. The band will have two high level guest artists to bring in a crowd and will be sponsored by Yamaha, MakeMusic/Alfred Publishing & Quinlan and Fabish

Performance Description: In Motion Quartet performs forward-thinking original jazz with a nod to the piano-less groups of Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, and Lee Konitz. The chord-less make-up of the group allows the band the freedom to stretch harmonically and melodically while maintaining an emphasis on rhythmic interaction and improvised counterpoint.

Clinic Description: From “Preparing the Program” to “Improving for the Future”, this session will guide participants through five steps to cultivating healthy preK-university level jazz programs. Strategies, resources and examples will be shared to develop stronger jazz programs, train a greater number of jazz musicians and to create more well-informed jazz audiences.

Clinic Description: This clinic will focus on the ride cymbal in Jazz drumming and its ability to establish groove, interact with the band, and provide dynamic/textural/thematic contrast to the music. Dave will share how he developed these concepts through experiences with Jason Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Greg Tardy, & Eric Reed, among others.

Clinic Description: Steve Torok introduces strategies and techniques for the study of the saxophone's altissimo register. The clinic is appropriate for altissimo beginners and for players who wish to improve their altissimo. Topics include recommended resources, practice strategies, exercises, advice about gear selection, and methods for developing extreme altissimo.

Performance Description: Led by award-winning composer, arranger, and pianist Annie Booth, the Annie Booth Big Band blends heart, creativity, and soul. A diverse, multi-generational lineup of top-tier musicians brings Booth’s compelling original music to life, delivering a fresh, captivating big band experience.

Performance Description: Experience  Jamie Shew's Spicy, Classy, (and a little) Sassy, a deep, bold dive into love through swing, blues, funk, ballad, and jazz-pop. Featuring some of jazz's finest musicians, this concert blends emotional depth with playful twists, showcasing Shew’s unique voice and vibrant compositional style in a genre-blending musical journey.

Clinic Description: Clinic Sponsorship by Preservation Hall Foundation. Join us for an immersive musical experience led by renowned performer and composer Meghan Swartz and award-winning educator/musician Imer Santiago. We’ll explore the heartbeat of modern brass band music through the iconic tune, “Do Whatcha Wanna” by the Rebirth Brass Band.

Clinic Description: Join us for an immersive 50-minute jazz piano clinic focusing on active chord voicing and contrapuntal techniques. Learn to enhance your improvisation through shell voicing, delayed entry, and rhythmic variations. Discover how to create depth and movement in your playing while exploring the inner voices of harmonic structures.

Performance Description: BLOW GLOBE is a chamber jazz ensemble that melds the sonorities of instrumental jazz and classical with the ethos of contemporary electronic and songwriter musics. Led by Juilliard-trained composer and drummer John Sturino, the band features a unique 8-horn instrumentation and permanent guest vocalist Mar Vilaseca.

Clinic Description: As a jazz pianist and vocalist, I create arrangements that bring new life to old jazz standards. I often reharmonize the melody or change the meter for a contemporary feel. I developed my own improvisational approach that shows how to maximize practice to gradually feel confident over complex rhythmic/melodic structures.

Clinic Description: You’re grappling with the many possible ways to harmonize a melody. Which chord should you choose? 
Beyond harmonic function, chords have emotional and stylistic characteristics. 
Let these aspects help you make a sincere choice. Rich DeRosa provides his original music examples.

Clinic Description: Jazz musicians and educators often refer to "arrangers" jazz piano chops, but perhaps "proficient" jazz piano is better. 
How does one demonstrate proficiency on jazz piano to students, musicians and audiences? Learn how, presented by a "non-pianist" who now teaches jazz piano at a jazz studies program in Maine.

Performance Description: The Loyola University Jazz Ensemble will present an eclectic program of large ensemble jazz music with a New Orleans flavor. Loyola has the oldest and largest jazz program in Louisiana and draws musicians from all over the US. The program may also feature some very special New Orlean's musical guests.

Performance Description: Three a cappella tracks. 1 done in the studio (Keep the Faith), the other two are recordings from a recent live performance. 
Keep the Faith - Accent
What Do I Know About Love - Tobi Crawford
Kindred Souls - Jennifer Barnes

Clinic Description: A panel discussion highlighting shared characteristics between hip-hop and jazz. The central goal of this clinic is to discuss ways that jazz musicians can incorporate hip-hop elements into their music and communities. We'll also discuss how this sort of integration can be mutually beneficial for the jazz and hip-hop communities.

Clinic Description: Addressing all spaces where jazz lives, WIJO outlines their step-by-step process to evaluate institutions, providing Assessment, Goal-Setting, and Consultation. WIJO asks, “why is DEI everyone’s issue?” offering sustainable pathways to create a more inclusive atmosphere in your institution: helping you achieve goals of growth, quality, profit and overall mission fulfillment.

Performance Description: This will be a big band performance. This will be much like our featured performance at JEN in Dallas in 2014 and at The Midwest Clinic in 2012, 2018 and 2023. It will contain many different styles.

Performance Description: The Temporal Taal Collective merges global rhythms, contemporary grooves, soulful vocals, and the elegance of Kathak dance in a jazz-inspired tapestry that transcends cultural boundaries. Drawing from diverse influences, they craft captivating performances that celebrate tradition while embracing innovation, uniting audiences through a shared exploration of rhythm, melody, and movement.

Clinic Description: We spend most of our time rehearsing. Efficient rehearsals lead to quality performances. Jazz bands have unique needs that must be addressed on a regular basis. A rehearsal that is a work of art engages the players to give them ownership of their performance.

Research Description: Analysis of relevant transcriptions of recordings and scores provided by guitarist and composer Mary Halvorson showcase how Halvorson cultivates her musical identity within jazz and jazz adjacent spaces through composition and improvisation.

Research Description: This presentation explores Brad Mehldau’s creative approach to developing melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic structures, including his creative use of motivic development, interpreting a swing feel in duplets versus triplets, and incorporating an independent left-hand. This presentation aims to provide practical ideas to students hoping to expand upon their improvisational language.

Research Description: This presentation explores the musical evolution of tenor saxophonist Steve Grossman, from his Post-Trane style in the 1970s New York loft scene to his later bebop-influenced work in Italy. Through interviews and analysis of his improvisations, it examines Grossman’s unique shift in musical focus throughout his career.

Research Description: The Purpose of This Study is to Investigate and Better Understand the Role of the Bass in the Jazz Rhythm Section through a Focused Analysis of Ron Carter’s Performance. It Explores and Suggests How Bassists Refine Their Craft to Cultivate the Most Practical and Versatile Performance Skills.

Research Description: This presentation examines Sonny Rollins' post-bridge improvisational tendencies and how they compare to this prolific 1956-1959 recordings. Manipulation of many core elements of jazz performance at the time - tone, rhythm, form are commonly present while he only hints at his mastery of bebop language and phrasing.

Research Description: Playing commercial lead trumpet in a modern setting is a position that demands a great deal. The needed skills go beyond the ability to play high notes and to have tremendous endurance. This guide is a step by step approach to sounding like the masters that came before us.

Research Description: This presentation will discuss teachers, values, and methods associated with early jazz education in New Orleans, circa 1900-1920. By focusing on the interplay between Creole and African American communities and pedagogies, I will make the case that jazz arose from a confluence of both musical and educational influences.

Research Description: This paper shows some ways that Paul Motian was able to innovate jazz through an analysis of Motian’s drumming in relation to Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro from Sunday At The Village Vanguard. This research helps to provide an expanded concept of jazz drumming and interaction inside the rhythm section.

Research Description: This presentation will demonstrate trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's use of programmatic narratives in his composition and performance practices.  The musical and narrative analysis will include “Tear Stained Suicide Manifesto,” the only tune Akinmusire has surrendered significant narrative details for, and other pieces.

Research Description: The life story of a black female songwriter whose story was often overlooked or misattributed in history books. A thorough and playful look at her story and how it embodies the obstacles women in jazz have faced historically. The presentation includes recordings of family recollections and musical performances.

Research Description: I will present a preliminary exploration of online jazz education platforms, highlighting instructional models, technological tools, and emerging trends. It introduces selection criteria for platform analysis and outlines a research framework grounded in CoI, SDT, and TPACK to examine engagement, teaching practices, and student learning in digital jazz environments.

Research Description: While many lessons can be learned from the great improvisers (swing feel, vocabulary, tone/technique, spirit, etc.), the realm of discussion regarding the structure and organization of their sound is very slim. By looking at the compositions and improvisations of great composer/improvisers, we find examples of how to tell a story.

Research Description: This presentation introduces students and instructors to a process for adapting standard Hip Hop repertoire for by  acoustic jazz ensembles. Topics include transcribing raps, preparing raps for instrumental performance, and creating acoustic arrangements that leave room for improvisations inspired by the spirit of the original Hip Hop tracks.

Research Description: One Hundred Years After Its Peak As An International Fad, This Presentation Will Explore The African American Origins Of The Charleston Rhythm, The Transformation By James P. Johnson From An Ethnic Vernacular Tradition To A Cross-Cultural Popular Phenomenon, And Its Staying Power As An Essential Rhythmic Device.

Research Description: This presentation highlights the pedagogical value of guitar ensembles in jazz education. It draws on the presenter’s experience leading a university-level ensemble to explore how these groups develop improvisation, reading, and stylistic flexibility while expanding repertoire offerings and providing guitarists more equitable performance opportunities within jazz programs.

Research Description: Based on my recent thesis project including a psychological survey of 250 adult musicians, this presentation explores the psychological experiences of musicians, providing research that suggests women may face more psychological barriers to jazz participation than men. I also examine existing and potential solutions to gender disparity in jazz.

Research Description: The harmonies of 20th century jazz share many characteristics with composers of 20th French art music. The harmonic language, rhythmic conceptions, and stylistic traits of Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie clearly illustrate these characteristics.

Research Description: This is a presentation of my research on the underrepresented female saxophonist Vi Redd. It will include analysis of her music, study of her life and career, and discussion regarding cultural issues surrounding women in jazz history.

Research Description: This research seeks to explore the compositional and improvisational style of Kenny Kirkland. The study aims to dissect Kirkland's unique approaches to composition and improvisation, by studying his harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic elements. The research will include transcription, musical analysis, and video recordings synchronized with sound-slices of the transcriptions.

Clinic Description: Ready To Move Beyond Scales And Theory Into Real, Expressive Improvisation? This Clinic Will Offer Learn By Doing Approaches To Mastering The Art Of Jazz Improvisation No Matter Where You're Starting From.
Explore Approach Notes, Deep Practice, Flow, Groove, Forward Motion, Fun, Play Rest, River Of Rhythm, And Voice Leading

Performance Description: Join 2x GRAMMY Award®-winning vocalist Sara Gazarek for a captivating set of reimagined standards, fresh originals, and inspired covers. Hailed by the LA Times as “one who may well turn out to be the next important jazz singer,” Gazarek brings heart, soul, and nuance to every performance.

Clinic Description: The Sistering is a music collective of four award-winning jazz vocalists/composers - Lenora Zenzalai Helm, Lois Deloatch, Kate McGarry and Nnenna Freelon – who co-created an album scheduled for release January 2026. The collective provides a guide for inspiring artists to overcome collaboration barriers, elevate musicianship, and broaden creative opportunities.

Performance Description: The Florida State University Jazz Orchestra performs a wide variety of music in the jazz repertoire from classic standards to new compositions and arrangements, including those by our faculty, students, and guests. The recordings come from our annual spring subscription concert, one including guest artist and guitarist, Mike Moreno.

Performance Description: This dynamic collaborative brings together artists from Europe and the US. The legendary Danny Gottlieb drives the sublime compositions of Swedish piano star Per Danielsson. Along with saxophone artist Tamara Danielsson, percussion guru Beth Gottlieb, trombonist Harry Watters and Swedish bass sensation Hans Backenroth, their joys of musical friendships abound.

Performance Description: Pacific Standard Time will perform a set of completely new and innovative arrangements by current and former students. The group delivers a well-rounded mix of styles in the jazz idiom from the iconic to the leading edge. They have electrifying stage presence and are renowned for their excellence and artistry.

Performance Description: Caliente, the flagship youth Latin jazz ensemble from Diaz Music Institute, ignites the stage with fresh takes on traditional Latin jazz. Experience the magic as they engage in a thrilling musical dialogue with Grammy winners Nestor Torres and Oskar Cartaya.

Performance Description: This quartet in various configurations dates back many decades, and its members are some of the best known names in jazz.

Performance Description: “Suspended Sea” explores Afro-Dominican rhythms fused with American jazz. It focuses on the explosiveness of Latin rhythms and American jazz's rich harmonic palette. It includes pambiche, bachata, gagá, palos, and bamboulá de Samaná. This nonet offers a different perspective of Latin jazz, incorporating elements outside traditional definitions.

Clinic Description: Rachel Therrien shares insights from her international career as a trumpeter, composer, and producer. Learn how to balance artistry and business, create opportunities, and build a sustainable path in today’s music world. This clinic empowers musicians to think beyond the gig and craft a career on their own terms.

Clinic Description: Featuring educators Pete Madsen (University of Nebraska Omaha), Jose Valentino (University of Florida), Rob Babel (Fort Zumwalt North High School – Retired), and Quentin Volk (Eau Claire Jazz, Inc.), panel members share jazz program funding strategies through grants, sponsorships, donor engagement, and self-sustaining events. Empower your program—even without a budget!

Clinic Description: This session takes a behind-the-scenes look at the compositional process behind Daniel Hersog’s acclaimed album Open Spaces (Folk Songs Reimagined). Hersog shares how familiar folk melodies were reimagined for jazz orchestra, tracing the path from early drafts to final scores, with a focus on orchestration, reharmonization, and narrative through composition.

Performance Description: Join us for our homage to NOLA music culture with the Javelina Jaht 8, a student Dixieland combo directed by Dr. Theresa Chen. Coming from Kingsville, TX, the hogs will present a wide variety of traditional rep as well as arrangements and originals by our students. Come and have fun!

Performance Description: Under Christine Tavares-Mocha's direction, Two N' Four's goal is storytelling through music. Through the love of jazz, these students focus on honoring traditions of the past and studying / shaping the jazz sound for the future. Two N' Four's focus in performance is to inspire, uplift, and cultivate community. valenciachoir.com

Performance Description: Perform a variety of quality standard charts by various composers and arrangers. Concurrently present stylistic, historical, and pedagogical learning opportunities that are appropriate for Middle school students at all levels.

Clinic Description: This clinic addresses many of the issues that middle school jazz band directors encounter as they instruct and manage their ensemble, including management (including curricular and extra-curricular topics), communication, planning, making warm-ups effective, introducing improvisation, the importance of listening, selecting literature, and resources for supplemental materials.

Performance Description: Led by trumpeter Ryan DeWeese, this is a high-energy large ensemble, blending tradition with contemporary big band writing. We will play music from our debut album as well as premier new material. Arrangers include Jon Hatamiya, Jeff Jarvis, Joey Sellers, Ryan DeWeese, and more!

Clinic Description: Celebrate the life and music of a saxophonist and composer who flouted the biz to get royalties for fellow musicians then mysteriously disappeared from the scene and resurfaced secretly as a NYC public school music teacher. Co-led by Gryce biographer Noal Cohen and Vocalist Alexis Cole, who performs Gryce's songs.

Performance Description: The California Institute of the Arts Modern Ensemble is a group of graduate students focused on creating musical experiences featuring the compositions of students in the ensemble as well as highly arranged music from modern artists such as Immanuel Wilkins, Dayna Stephens, and Christian Scott.

Clinic Description: Learn the I.M.P.A.C.T. framework—six essential steps to transform your student or university jazz album into a release that gets heard. Nick Finzer shares what he’s learned from 100+ real-world campaigns with his label Outside in Music. Skip the fluff, follow the formula, and release with purpose.

Clinic Description: Saxophonist/Ithaca College jazz director Mike Titlebaum learned a valuable lesson from Lee Konitz about the importance of melodic embellishment in jazz improvisation. He has since spent decades developing Koniz’s philosophy into a straightforward method for learning how to improvise, which provides clear and beneficial exercises to beginners and experts alike.

Clinic Description: We will explore how to combine ear development and building technical skills in a manner that is foreign to the majority of directors and students.

Performance Description: Surround Sound is a vocal group committed to preserving and advancing the world of acapella vocal jazz. We will perform iconic acapella arrangements along with newer, more obscure charts.

Clinic Description: This clinic explores how jazz guitarists can transform transcribed lines into personalized improvisational language. Bailey Ehrgott demonstrates practical strategies for adapting vocabulary through melodic variation, harmonic application, and contextual use over tunes. Designed for developing improvisers, the session includes live demonstration and guided approaches to practicing vocabulary with intention.

Clinic Description: Join 2x GRAMMY-winning vocalist Sara Gazarek and Rochester guitar legend Bob Sneider as they explore innovative approaches to crafting duo-based curriculum. This clinic offers practical strategies for fostering collaboration, improvisation, and creativity between students across disciplines, inspiring new possibilities in higher education music programs.

Performance Description: Featuring music composed and inspired by the works of John McLaughlin, while revisiting selections from legendary Mahavishnu and Shakti albums of the 1970s and ‘beyond,’ this group re-envisions McLaughlin’s masterpieces and celebrates his vibrant ensemble work.
The group features Premik Russell Tubbs (original member of Mahavishnu Orchestra), Vin Scialla -drums/bandleader,

Performance Description: The Adam Birnbaum Trio performs a wide variety of material from standards to modern jazz compositions.

Clinic Description: Based on Fifty Years of Performing Experience in all Genres
of Saxophone Playing, as well as Collaboration with the
Major Artists, Equipment Manufacturers, and Pedagogues of
his Generation, Keller Will Share Methods for Developing a
Personal Sound and Gaining Technical Mastery of the
Instrument. Sponsored by Conn Selmer Corporation.

Clinic Description: This presentation explores key questions: Does AI enhance or hinder creativity in jazz composition? Will digital tools reduce the need for foundational musical skills? Could there be a backlash favoring acoustic jazz due to perceived inauthenticity? Will AI tools threaten employment for musicians in the evolving music landscape?

Performance Description: UNC’s vocal jazz program has a long history of excellence, with its flagship ensemble, The Northern Colorado Voices, earning national recognition. Directed by Marion Powers, the group is known for its cutting-edge repertoire, featuring, straight ahead, contemporary jazz, Latin, and pop arrangements, many written by UNC faculty and students.

Clinic Description: This Clinic Explores What Makes Content Go Viral And How Jazz Musicians Can Leverage Platform Behavior, Audience Psychology, And Creative Improvisation To Build An Authentic And Impactful Digital Presence Using Data-Driven Insights.

Performance Description: JSU Combo I performs Jazz Standards and Original Compositions, composed and arranged by members of the group.

Clinic Description: Presented by the Great American Songbook Foundation and The Songbook Academy®, this inspiring clinic for jazz vocalists—led by acclaimed jazz artist La Tanya Hall with dynamic pianist/composer Melanie Shore—explores how to merge jazz technique with lyric-driven storytelling, using Songbook standards to deepen interpretation, emotional connection, and singer-accompanist collaboration.

Clinic Description: In this clinic, vocalists will learn a six-step method to transform a song’s melody into an improvised scat solo, focusing on rhythmic and melodic manipulation. Beginners will build confidence in their improvisation, while more experienced musicians can discover new techniques to expand their creativity and expression on the bandstand.

Clinic Description: This session explores how classical forms like sonata and fugue can expand the structural possibilities of jazz composition. Through score excerpts and recordings of original works, I will demonstrate how these forms can be adapted to jazz music, offering new tools for composers seeking alternatives to head-solos-head conventions.

Performance Description: SAASy Performs Classic And Contemporary Vocal Jazz Works With Rhythm Section And A Cappella. Rooted In Jazz And Other African Diasporic Traditions, This Ensemble Highlights Howard University's Diverse Talent Through Sophisticated Soprano And Alto Harmony, Swing, And Soulful Expression.

Clinic Description: This clinic will introduce the listener to the art of ragas (modal scales), makams (Middle Eastern patterns) and rhythms from the East. Listeners will receive examples and techniques to improvise within the framework of western jazz style (e.g. in licks, phrases, jazz harmonies, modulation, and rhythm).

Clinic Description: Presenting a practice method that is geared to helping improvisers, at any level develop their individual voice. Subjects covered include transcription, directional combinations, intervallic families, diatonic improvisation, improvisation using chromatic passing tones, use of the melodic minor scale and poly-tonal superimposition.

Clinic Description: Polyrhythm is a foundational feature of Jazz, critical to understanding what Jelly Roll Morton has called “The Spanish Tinge”. Through practical examples grounded in Jazz history, this clinic will help participants understand polyrhythm as both a symbol of the music’s multi-cultural legacy and as a creative tool for artistic innovation.

Performance Description: Split Screen is a jazz fusion ensemble that performs music from video games in new, imaginative ways.

Performance Description: The Houston Latin Jazz Orchestra features some of best Latin jazz artists in Houston. These world-class musicians represent the rich heritage of the Latin American countries and the fusion of these cultures with the Houston lifestyle.

Performance Description: Stefon Harris and Blackout are a pioneering force in contemporary jazz featuring Stefon Harris on vibraphone and marimba (Malletech endorsement), Alicia Olatuja on vocals,  Jaleel Shaw on saxophone, Christian Sands on piano (Steinway endorsement), Dezron Douglas on bass, and Terreon Gully on drums.

Performance Description: Little Stompers invites families to celebrate the vibrant traditions of New Orleans through joyful music, dance, and storytelling. Featuring members of the Second Line Family Band, audiences will explore Congo Square rhythms, second line parades, and social music in an interactive concert experience for all ages.

Performance Description: Singcopation from Mt. San Antonio College consists of twelve accompanied singers specializing in a wide range of vocal jazz literature. They have won the Vocal Jazz category for Downbeat Magazine's student music awards on sixteen occasions, and another five times for Outstanding Performance. Singcopation is now directed by Jeremy Fox.

Clinic Description: My clinic outlines a four-part method for beginners that emphasizes rhythm. Students using this method will:
1. Learn a jazz solo.
2. Isolate three rhythms from three four-bar passages.
3. Apply them to a blues.
4. Add pitch.
The clinic would detail each part of the method.

Clinic Description: Involve your drummers much more deeply in improvisation class with this simple method of mimicking the phrase lengths, motif development and relationships between the phrases of any song in their own solos - and also transferring these ideas to their open drum solos.

Performance Description: The Youth Performing Arts School Jazz Ensemble I performs regularly throughout Kentucky and surrounding states. Known for its performance of new arrangements, progressive repertoire, virtuosic solos, and challenging ensemble material, the ensemble has invigorated interest in jazz and enabled performance opportunities and collaborations for jazz enthusiasts in the Louisville area.

Performance Description: Guatemalan Singer Dani Toralla And Houston Pianist Tomas Jonsson Blend Multicultural Jazz In English, Spanish, Portuguese And French, Keeping Audiences On Their Toes. Unlike Other Duos, AfinaDos Entrances Audiences With Colors Ranging From The Trumpet To The Timbal. They Recently Presented Music From Their EP At The Guatemala Jazz Festival.

Clinic Description: This workshop invites participants with instruments to experience group improvisation through the techniques of Anthony Braxton (Language Types), Butch Morris (Conduction), and John Zorn (COBRA). Instrumentalists and vocalists of all levels and styles can create ensemble improvisations through the use of game pieces, common musical language, and prompter cues.

Clinic Description: Music educators and learners are usually in favor of jazz  education, but all too often, the people-based roots of  jazz  get lost in our (sometimes problematic) everyday music learning environments. Enter The Jazz Values - enduring strategies for teaching, learning and collaborating within the artistic learning community of jazz.

Performance Description: The Clarence Hines Jazz Orchestra performs original compositions and arrangements from its upcoming album release, Confluence.

Clinic Description: In this workshop, award-winning composer Annie Booth shares approachable strategies for building a joyful, sustainable composing practice. Through playful exercises, original prompts, sources of inspiration, and practical tools for overcoming resistance, participants will unlock their creativity and make composition a natural, daily part of their musical lives

Clinic Description: Jazz Studies programs often focus on technique and chord/scale theory, while neglecting to appropriately focus on the historical and sociological contexts that inform performance just as much. Renowned performer/educators Lenora Helm Hammonds and Justin Binek lead an open, honest discussion about teaching the soul of the music alongside the technique.

Clinic Description: Curious about the rhythmic DNA of jazz? Dive into the vibrant world of Jelly Roll Morton's legendary “Spanish tinge,” led by Mark Braud, the great-nephew of Lester Santiago. We’ll explore the lineage of Morton’s iconic Afro-Latin rhythmic elements—especially those rooted in Cuban musical traditions—into the foundation of New Orleans jazz.

Clinic Description: Dive into an interactive Indo jazz session that blends live demonstrations, audience participation, and accessible pedagogical techniques. Educators will learn how to incorporate global repertoire, foster cultural inclusivity, and spark creative engagement in their jazz programs through Indo jazz concepts, resources, and hands-on practice.

Clinic Description: Jazz Appreciation Month is an expected part of the year.  It’s track record: over three million posters distributed around the world and participation by countless teachers, students, musicians, libraries, and radio stations. As of 2024, Google reports over 1.1 million web results for Jazz Appreciation Month. How did it happen?

Performance Description: Today's performance pays tribute to the timeless music of legends like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. This celebration is not just a concert; it's a heartfelt homage to the rich tapestry of jazz, including its vibrant Latin influences and the countless artists who have inspired us to swing.

Clinic Description: This session offers practical strategies for programming big band music by women composers and arrangers. Attendees will examine programming and publishing statistics, discuss access challenges, explore a searchable database of 400+ published works, and review a curated selection of annotated charts across grade levels for immediate use in educational settings.

Performance Description: The Rodney Jordan Quintet, led by bassist Rodney Jordan, plays a variety of standard and new music in the jazz and commercial idioms. Rodney Jordan's most recent record Memphis Blue features original compositions, standards, and homages to musicians such as Art Blakey and Roy Hargrove.

Performance Description: Compass Jazz Orchestra is the top student instrumental jazz ensemble at the University of Northern Colorado. Compass focuses its repertoire on new compositions and arrangements by UNC students and faculty, and has performed with artists including Carmen Bradford, Jeff Coffin, John Fedchock, Jon Faddis, Greg Gisbert, Wycliffe Gordon, and others.

Clinic Description: This presentation will explore select Estill Voice Method Figures to create a healthy and unique jazz voice. Through learning about our vocal anatomy, strengthening our connection on isolating the different Figures, teachers and vocalists can have a better understanding of how to healthily produce a unique jazz sound.