The Juilliard School Summer Jazz Camp. West Palm Beach, FL. Staff

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The Juilliard School Summer Jazz Camp West Palm Beach, FL Staff Carl Allen ** Brandon Lee ** Morgan Jones ** Rodney Jones ** Xavier Davis ** Luca Santaniello ** Clovis Nicolas ** Joseph McDonough **

1 The Juilliard School Summer Jazz Camp West Palm Beach, FL Staff Carl Allen ** Brandon Lee ** Morgan Jones ** Rodney Jones ** Xavier Davis ** Luca Santaniello ** Clovis Nicolas ** Joseph McDonough ** Alex Wintz ** Anthony Lustig Carl Allen Drums Carl Allen has been on the Faculty of The Juilliard School since 2001, as Artistic Director of Jazz Studies since Born on April 25, 1961, Allen grew up on gospel, R&B, and funk, but later turned to jazz after hearing an LP by the legendary saxophonist Benny Carter. He studied with drum instructor Roy Sneider and band director Robert Siemele. His first hometown gigs were with sax greats Sonny Stitt and James Moody. Allen studied at The University of Wisconsin at Green Bay from 1979 to 1981, and transferred to William Patterson College in New Jersey, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor s Degree in Jazz Studies and Performance. Allen joined trumpeter Freddie Hubbard a year before his graduation, served as his Musical Director for eight years, and recorded several recordings with the trumpeter including Double Take and Life Flight. Allen also played with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Benny Golson, Jennifer Holliday, J.J. Johnson, Rickie Lee Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garrett, Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Mike Stern, Nellie McKay, Terence Blanchard, Phil Woods, Benny Green, Cyrus Chestnut, Joe Henderson, Billy Childs and many others. Allen s phenomenal sideman discography also includes Jackie McLean (Dynasty), Donald Harrison (Indian Blues, Noveau Swing), Donald Byrd (A City Called Heaven), and Art Farmer (The Company I Keep). Allen is also an accomplished businessman. He co-founded Big Apple Productions in 1988 with saxophonist Vincent Herring, produced several recordings for several Japanese labels with future stars Roy Hargrove and Nicholas Payton, and created The Art of Elvin, a tribute band dedicated to his two drum influences. He currently leads his exceptional quintet and Carl Allen & New Spirit as well as being the co-leader of the Allen-Whitaker Project with bassist Rodney Whitaker. Allen also produced recordings for pianist Eric Reed, Dewey Redman. Pharoah Sanders, Freddie Hubbard and guitarist Lage Lund, the winner of the 2005 Thelonious Monk International Monk Competition and many others totaling nearly 70 credits as a producer. A talented educator, Allen has served on the jazz faculty at Julliard since 2001 as coordinator of Small Ensembles and drum instructor. Currently I am serving as the Interim Artistic Director of Jazz Studies. Carl Allen s multifaceted career provides the perfect template for what a modern musician should be. As Sid Gribetz of Jazz Times wrote, [m]ore than just another fine drummer, Carl Allen has it all together as a bandleader, businessman, and producer, becoming a force in today s jazz world. 1 P a g e

2 Allen maintains an exhaustive schedule of recording, touring and teaching. He remains active as a leader (most recently coleading The Carl Allen - Rodney Whitaker Project, leading The Carl Allen & The Art of Elvin - a musical tribute to Art Blakey and Elvin Jones), New Spirit and as an in-demand sideman (recent recordings with Jackie Ryan, Wayne Escoffery, Alex Graham, Barbara King and many others). My ultimate goal is to get to level like Art Blakey, Art Taylor, Elvin Jones, and Billy Higgins who every time they sit down behind a set of drums it s swinging. With over 150 recordings to his credit, the gifted Milwaukee-born, New York-based drummer, sideman, bandleader, entrepreneur, and educator, Carl Allen s profound and propulsive percolations provided soulful and syncopated support for nearly three decades. Brandon Lee Trumpet Jazz trumpeter Brandon Lee was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Growing up in a musical family, Brandon started playing piano at age 3, and by age 9 he began playing the trumpet. As a Senior in high school student Brandon was selected to perform with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a Louis Armstrong special on PBS. In 2001, right out of high school, Brandon was one of 18 students selected to be a part of the inception of the jazz program at the Juilliard School. While at the Juilliard School, Brandon studied with such trumpet virtuosos as, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Gould, and Joe Wilder. Also while at Juilliard, Brandon performed with many of the jazz giants including Benny Golson, Kenny Barron, Ray Brown, Clark Terry and Hank Jones, just to name a few. In 2007, Brandon completed both his Bachelors in Music and his Masters Degree from The Juilliard School. In August of 2007 Brandon released his debut album, From Within, which has been featured on Satellite Radio across the Nation. In March of 2010, Brandon released his 2nd CD, Absolute-Lee, which features all originals. He has also recorded with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Eric Reed, Carl Allen, Rodney Whitaker, Vincent Herring, and Kirk Whalum, Jazz Conceptions Orchestra, David Berger Big Band, and Fat Cat Big Band. Still residing in New York City, Brandon plays frequently with his own group and as a sideman in several other groups. Some of those groups include; Kenny Barron, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove and Charles Toliver s big bands. In March 2010, Brandon was asked to performed his first major concert under his own name at the Wortham Theater in Houston, TX, where more than 800 people were in attendance. In the fall of 2008, Brandon became the youngest to ever join as a faculty member at the Juilliard School. Since being on faculty, Brandon has had the opportunity to conduct for the Juilliard jazz orchestra and has lead the orchestra in many venues such as: Dizzy's-Club-Coca-Cola; Alice Tully Hall; Snow College in Utah; and Osaka, Japan. Brandon is currently the Assistant Jazz Orchestra Conductor, and was just recently appointed to be the Artistic Coordinator for Educational Outreach at the Juilliard School. Anthony Lustig Saxophones Tony Lustig is a dynamic young saxophonist hailing from Fraser, Michigan. He is currently a graduate student at the Juilliard School. Joe McDonough -- Trombone Is currently a graduate student at the Juilliard School -- He has performed and/or recorded with Terell Stafford, Jim Holton, Dick Oatts, Mike Dease and many others. In 2007, Joe won the International Trombone Association Carl Fontana/Edwards jazz trombone competition. 2 P a g e

3 Rodney Jones -- Guitar Mr. Jones is a Juilliard faculty member in the College of jazz. Given Rodney Jones s background as a sideman, it s surprising that until now he never stretched out as a funk-soulster on his own projects. The guitarist spent plenty of quality time with funk-it-up/pass-the-peas JB horn star Maceo Parker (recording five albums with him and touring for five years), graced the stage with the get-down godfather James Brown, played with all the funk legends while holding down the guitar chair for the TV show Showtime at the Apollo, served as musical director for blues/r&b queen Ruth Brown, and even penned the funkified number Dizzy s Party for trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie when he toured with the jazz titan for three years. On his own recordings, however, Jones steered clear of the funk groove. But finally, Rodney Jones cuts loose with the funkiest, most soulful CD of the year: Soul Manifesto, his second for Blue Note Records. It features an all-star band that includes his alto saxophone friends Maceo Parker and Arthur Blythe (performing together for the first time), Dr. Lonnie Smith on organ, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums. This album is really special to me, Jones says. For the first time as a leader, I m bringing out the music I got into when I was young and have been listening to all my life. On this album I went back to my musical roots. The CD cooks with funky horn flights, juicy organ lines, and sultry guitar licks; and in stretches romps with high-octane action, especially on the hefty-hunks-of-steamin -funk bookends, Groove Bone, Part 1 and Groove Bone, Part 2. But, Jones hastens to note, Soul Manifesto is not just a good-time dance party; it also goes to a deeper place and serves as an affirmation of his passion for music that touches both the corporeal and spiritual worlds. There are two aspects to the word soul, he explains. There s soul music that makes for an organic human experience, and there s soul on the spiritual level the soul that transcends the body and survives death. This album serves to bridge those two meanings, to show that there is a unity, that the two elements flow seamlessly one to the other and enable each other. You have soul that was created by God, and you have soul created by James Brown. I ve always been fascinated by that connection. That story starts in Jones s childhood. The first music he was exposed to were the Negro spirituals performed in his father s church, and he also recalls watching the Nashville TV show Night Train where the local R&B acts of the day performed, with his folks. With that soul foundation, Jones set out to explore. He started playing guitar at age six, and after moving to New York City at age eight he began his first formal lessons (folk chords). Then he began to dive headlong into the pop music of the day: the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Sly Stone, the Ohio Players, the Whispers, the Moments. By age 14 he had learned all the guitar parts in JB s tunes and joined a groove band. At 17, he began to study at the City College of New York with pianist John Lewis, soon after that linking up with another pianist, Mingus alum Jaki Byard. Other gigs followed quickly thereafter: three years on the road with Dizzy Gillespie; recording dates with drummer/band-leader Chico Hamilton; and accompanying Lena Horne, with whom his relationship continues to this day. Over a decade ago, Jones linked up with the James Brown legacy. While teaching at Manhattan School of Music (where he still is a music professor), his guitar services were sought by the German-based Minor Music label, which at the time was championing JB horn players Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and Pee Wee Ellis and giving them the opportunity to put their jazz 3 P a g e

chops on display. Label owner Stephan Meyner was looking to enlist a guitarist for Parker s breakthrough disc Roots Revisited (which also featured Don Pullen, Bootsy Collins, Wesley and Ellis).

Over the years he has had the opportunity to learn and play numerous genres of music including jazz, pop/rock, and electronic music.

4 chops on display. Label owner Stephan Meyner was looking to enlist a guitarist for Parker s breakthrough disc Roots Revisited (which also featured Don Pullen, Bootsy Collins, Wesley and Ellis). Alex Wintz -- Guitar Born in California and raised in New York and New Jersey, Alex Wintz began playing guitar at the age of four. Over the years he has had the opportunity to learn and play numerous genres of music including jazz, pop/rock, and electronic music. Alex enrolled at the Berklee College of Music on a full tuition scholarship in the fall of Over the years he has been mentored by some of the best music educators across the country including Vic Juris, Hal Crook, Dave Santoro, Rick Peckham, Dave Stryker, and Joe Lovano. Alex will continue graduate studies at the Juilliard School in September 2010 At a young age he has already had the opportunity to perform across the country and around the world, including Singapore, Switzerland, Canada and U.S. clubs including the Monterey Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, NJPAC, The Knitting Factory, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, IAJE, Jazzschool, Smalls, Shanghai Jazz, and Ku'umbwa Arts Center. Awards and recognition achieved include 2006 National Foundation of the Arts ARTS Award winner, 2006 Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellowship All Star,2006 Most Outstanding Jazz Soloist in High School Catagory in the Downbeat Music Awards, Berklee Guitar Achievement Award, and 2008 Semi-Finalist in the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition. Current regular groups include the Alex Wintz Trio, Subtext, and Imoto Clovis Nicolas Bass After learning piano as a child, Clovis Nicolas dedicated himself to music when he picked up the upright bass as a teenager. He went on to study classical bass at the Conservatoire of Avignon (France) with Mr Joseph Fabre, one of the most notable instructors in Europe. He soon gained solid reputation for his precise and tasteful bass playing and started working in his early 4 P a g e

5 twenties with artists like Peter King, Ted Curson and Laurent de Wilde. He graduated from Conservatoire of Marseilles in 1996, and then moved to Paris where he established himself as a first call musician. During this time, he performed and recorded alongside artists such as Belmondo, Baptiste Trotignon, Brad Mehldau, Michelle Hendricks, Stefano Di Battista, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Aldo Romano. He participated in more than fifteen critically acclaimed recordings, such as Belmondo's Hymne au Soleil which won three Jazz Grammy Awards in 2004 and Baptiste Trotignon's "Sightseeing" which received Best Album of the Year 2001 from Jazzman Magazine. Clovis moved to New York in 2002 and since then he has shared the stage in numerous venues (Jazz Standard, Smalls, 55 Bar, Kennedy Center, Smoke, Jazz Gallery) with some of today's most prominent jazz musicians, such as Grant Stewart, Harry Allen, Benny Powell, James Williams, Peter Bernstein, Joe Magnarelli, Sacha Perry, Sachal Vasandani, Simon Shaheen and Dan Nimmer. He is featured on Josh Brown s recording The Feeling of Jazz, as well as on new alto sensation Dmitry Baevsky s Some Other Spring featuring legendary guitarist Joe Cohn. Morgan Jones -- Saxophones "I have every confidence that Morgan is going to be one of the true important voices on the tenor, he is already well on his way." -- Peter Erskine Based in New York City, Morgan Jones is an emerging saxophonist, pianist, composer, and arranger. Morgan began playing the violin at age three and the piano at five. He grew up in Northern California, where his passion for performance and composition was nurtured. His father, Morgan Jones III, is an early blues historian and guitarist who introduced him to blues and other forms of American music. Morgan got his first saxophone when he was eleven. In high school he played in groups such as the SFJazz All-Stars and received honors such as the Outstanding Soloist Award from the Monterey Jazz Competition. After high school, Morgan moved to Los Angeles to study at the Thornton School of Music at USC. During his undergraduate years, Morgan had the privilege of performing with such notables as Maria Schneider, Bob Florence, Kurt Elling, John Clayton, Bob Mintzer, Peter Erskine, and James Moody. A performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival led to an invitation to perform alongside Clint Eastwood and his son Kyle at the 2007 Trumpet Awards in Las Vegas. He made his cable television debut performing with Alicia Keys at the 2008 Grammys. He was a musical guest on television shows such as NCIS and 10 Things I Hate About You, as well as a piano handdouble in the recently released film Burlesque. As a composer and arranger, Morgan has written for chamber orchestra, big band, voice, solo piano, string quartet and everything in between. In 2005 and 2006, he won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award for his original compositions New Orleans and The Loneliest Monk, respectively. Morgan is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School in New York. Morgan has studied piano with Frank Kimbrough, Alan Pasqua, Russ Ferrante, and Daniel Pollack; and studied saxophone with Ron Blake and Bob Sheppard. 5 P a g e

Luca Santaniello -- Drums Originally from Italy and a graduate of the Conservatory Of Music 'Lorenzo Perosi' in Campobasso, drummer Luca Santaniello has been living in New York City since 2001,

He has performed in the finest New York City jazz clubs and venues as well as toured most of Europe with several different bands that vary in a wide range of jazz styles.

6 Luca Santaniello -- Drums Originally from Italy and a graduate of the Conservatory Of Music 'Lorenzo Perosi' in Campobasso, drummer Luca Santaniello has been living in New York City since 2001, performing as a freelance jazz musician and collaborating with musicians from the international jazz scene. He has performed in the finest New York City jazz clubs and venues as well as toured most of Europe with several different bands that vary in a wide range of jazz styles. Since relocating to New York, he has been collaborating with musicians such as Roy Hargrove, Lee Konitz, Joe Locke, Ted Rosenthal, J.D. Allen, Harry Allen, Joe Cohn, Grant Stewart and many more. His musical inspirations can be found in the masters of jazz drums like Elvin Jones, Philly Jo Jones, Roy Haynes, Louis Hayes, and Jimmy Cobb. Xavier Davis -- Piano Xavier Davis is an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger. His debut recording "Dance of Life" was released on Metropolitan Records in The CD features the talents of Don Braden, Dwayne Burno and Carl Allen. Xavier's compositions, "Dance of Life" and "The Plan Unknown," appear on the CD along with his arrangements of some classic standards. "The pianist [Xavier Davis] simply knows how to make every note on his instrument sing, and he invariably finds the richest area of the keyboard for voicing his chords." said writer Bob Blumenthal. Jazz Times reviewer John Murph reviewed the CD in the January/February 2000 issue of the magazine and said "...the music exudes a mature, nonchalant ease and cozy empathy that make this...a rewarding listen." Down Beat gave the CD, "Dance of Life," four stars in its January 2000 issue and said, "Davis steps out with an accomplished debut." Xavier's second recording as a leader, "Innocence of Youth," was released in April of 2002 by Fresh Sounds New Talent. It has also received excellent reviews. This CD features EJ Strickland on drums and Brandon Owens on bass as well as a number of Xavier's original compositions. Xavier has performed with many of today's great jazz musicians. He started his professional career by working with the legendary vocalist Betty Carter for nearly two years. He is on her 1996 Verve release "I'm Yours, You're Mine." While still in college and after participating in Ms. Carter's "Jazz Ahead" program, she hired him exclusively as her pianist. The beginning of Xavier?s professional career was also marked by working with drummer, Carl Allen. Carl chose one of Xavier's compositions, "The Message," to be featured on his 1995 Atlantic Records solo release. He worked with trumpeter Tom Harrell regularly from 1997 until Xavier appears on four of Tom?s RCA Victor releases and associate produced "Live at the Village Vanguard." Two tracks from Tom's release, "Wise Children", were arranged and produced by Xavier. He was also a member of vibraphonist Stefon Harris' quartet and violinist Regina Carter's group for a number of years. In addition, Xavier has performed and/or recorded with Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Fortune, Abbey Lincoln, Joe Lovano, Donald Byrd, Bob Berg, Joe Chambers, Gary Bartz, John Faddis, Nat Adderley, Nicholas Payton, Wessell Anderson, Vincent Herring, Antonio Hart, Don 6 P a g e

Braden, The New Jazz Composer's Octet, Ron Blake, Vanessa Rubin, Nnenna Freelon, Steve Turre, Russell Malone, The New York Voices, Billy Hart, Manhattan Projects and Diahann Carroll, among others.

Xavier received his bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University (WMU) where he studied piano with Dr. Stephen Zegree.

7 Braden, The New Jazz Composer's Octet, Ron Blake, Vanessa Rubin, Nnenna Freelon, Steve Turre, Russell Malone, The New York Voices, Billy Hart, Manhattan Projects and Diahann Carroll, among others. When he is not touring, he is writing music for national television commercials as well as an upcoming PBS documentary. Xavier received his bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University (WMU) where he studied piano with Dr. Stephen Zegree. He also performed in many of the ensembles including the Western Michigan University Jazz Orchestra and was bandleader for Gold Company and GC II. He was also a member of the "Groov'tet," a quartet consisting of some of the most motivated jazz students at WMU. All of these ensembles won numerous regional and national awards during his tenure. Xavier was the recipient of the WMU Jazz Studies Music Scholarship. He was also the recipient of the Alma Perry and Elisabeth Anne Irish Memorial Scholarships, under the auspices of the Saint Cecilia Music Society of Grand Rapids. In 1993, Xavier was recognized Presser Scholar (an outstanding Junior music major); selected by vote of the music faculty of the WMU School of Music. Xavier was named as Outstanding Soloist at the Notre Dame Jazz Festival in 1992 & 1993, the Aquinas College Intercollegiate Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival in Detroit. Xavier was selected College Solo Winner by Down Beat magazine for 2 consecutive years. Down Beat also recognized his combo, Groov'tet, as Outstanding Collegiate Combo. In January of 1993, he was selected to give a jazz recital for the International Gilmore Keyboard Festival. The Gilmore Foundation also awarded Xavier an Emerging Artist grant to study in New York City during the summer of Xavier has performed at numerous International Association of Jazz Educators' conventions with college and professional groups. The prestigious Juilliard School Summer Jazz Camp will be at Bak Middle School of the Arts, West Palm Beach, FL June 13-17, The camp is a one-week program for students ages 12 to 18 who are dedicated, disciplined, and passionate about jazz. The program is designed to give young jazz musicians a taste of what a Juilliard Jazz student s life is all about: refining technique, performance, improvisation and broadening understanding of various jazz styles. It will also prepare students for a future in music by teaching them essential skills and giving them the opportunity to meet artists that have already succeeded in the music business. This program is made possible, in major part, by a donation from Jon Smith Subs to the MSOA Foundation. Contact: For details see Juilliard s Web site: or call (212) ext The Juilliard School Summer Jazz Camp 1725 Echo Lake Drive, West Palm Beach, Florida June 13-17, P a g e

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR YOUR JAZZ RHYTHM SECTION

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR YOUR JAZZ RHYTHM SECTION Matt Pivec, Clinician Director of Jazz Studies, Butler University School of Music mpivec@butler.edu FEATURING STUDENTS FROM THE BUTLER UNIVERSITY JAZZ COMBO