Bart Marantz: Anything is Possible

Currently director of Jazz Studies at the acclaimed Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (BWHSPVA) in Dallas and previously on staff at Jones County Junior College (Ellsville, Miss.) and Lake Sumter Community College (Leesburg, Fla.), Bart Marantz has been playing an active role in shaping the future of jazz for […]

Dave Samuels: Achieving One Unified Voice

A skilled marimba player and vibraphonist, Dave Samuels has collaborated with some of the biggest names in modern jazz: Gary Burton, Pat Metheney, Frank Zappa, John Scofield, and Gerry Mulligan, among others. Through his work in Spyro Gyra, with Don Friedman in Double Image, with The Caribbean Jazz Project and on his own solo projects, […]

Dealing in Human Emotions

A fearlessly creative and inspired drummer, Chico Hamilton has exerted enormous influence on the world of jazz both as a recording and performing artist, as well as a keen-eyed (and eared) scout for fresh new talent. Hamilton was immersed in music virtually from the start his early years saw him playing in a high school […]

Jim Widner Tracking the Measure of Progress

Amongst the foremost names in, and advocates for, jazz camps and workshops, Jim Widner is also an accomplished performer, recording artist, and educator. Widner currently serves as director of Jazz Studies/Artist in Residence at the University of Missouri, St. Louis and has also taught at Memphis State University and North Texas State University, in addition […]

Bob Sinicrope: Sharing the Gift of Music

Bob Sinicrope has been at the helm of Milton Academy’s (Milton, Massachusetts) acclaimed jazz program since its inception in 1974. His students have won numerous national and regional awards as best high school jazz combo and twice performed for former President Bill Clinton at the White House. Milton’s jazz alumni feature such respected professional musicians […]

Mike Stern: Music is Endless

Since joining Blood, Sweat Tears at the tender age of 22, Mike Stern has proven himself to be among the finest guitarists of his generation. Later stints with iconic figures such as Billy Cobham, Miles Davis, Jaco Pastorious, David Sanborn, and the Brecker Brothers afforded Stern the opportunities to cement his reputation as a truly […]

Joshua Redman: Contributing to the Collaborative Art Form

Since he emerged on the scene in the early ’90s, Joshua Redman has been one of the world’s most celebrated jazz musicians, releasing a number of acclaimed recordings and performing to sell-out crowds across the globe. The son of tenor great Dewey Redman, Joshua could be said to have been genetically predisposed towards musical achievement. […]

A Conversation with…Trombonist Steve Wiest

Steve Wiest, the teacher, is also Steve Wiest, the eternal student. “What is it that Dizzy said?” he asks before answering: “‘The more I learn, the more I learn there is to learn.’ If Dizzy said that, then the rest of us have some work to do!” Today one of the country’s most sought-after clinicians, […]

A Conversation with…Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis occupies a singular position in popular culture.The most famous member of “The First Family of Jazz” (son of Ellis Marsalis, brother of Branford, Delfeayo, and Jason) and, arguably, the most well known jazz musician alive, Wynton is also an occasional lightning rod for debate. While universally revered for his considerable talents and considered […]

Dave Glasser: Continuing Tradition of Evolution