Camps
Jazz at Naz
Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camps
JAZZ AT NAZ 2009
Nazareth College
Rochester, New York
July 26-31, 2009
"Thank you--a wonderful experience. I feel like I'm beginning a journey. The attitude of the faculty and staff was accepting, positive, encouraging."
"My first time at any jazz camp, and I had a blast! I feel fortunate to have picked this one. Hope to be back next year."
Our easternmost summer jazz camp is located at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. This small, private college offers an outstanding music facility, including plenty of air-conditioned classrooms, performance halls, and piano-equipped practice rooms. Dormitories are air-conditioned, with four private-bedroom suites that share two full baths, one with tub, the other with shower. It's a beautiful place to learn jazz and have a great time.
DAILY SCHEDULE
8:00 am Breakfast (included for campers on meal plan).
9:00 am Rhythming
A wake-up call to the essential rhythms of jazz, led by faculty for all campers.
9:30 am Jazz Theory & Aural Training
Self-placement in basic, intermediate, or advanced level classes. Chord/scale/mode relationships, developing your ear, and improvisational techniques.
10:30 am Big Band Rehearsal and Vocal Solo Sessions. Camper big band prepares a program for the Thursday Concert. (Those not wishing to play in big band can form informal combos, practice, or take a break.)
Noon Lunch (included for campers on meal plan).
1:30 pm Jazz Small Group Rehearsals and More Vocal Sessions
Join other campers of your experience and skill level in a small combo and prepare a set for the Friday concert. Vocalists work with a faculty piano accompanist.
3:00 pm Special Topic Sessions
Explore Colors of Jazz with radio personality Tom Hampson.
4:00 pm Master Classes
A group lesson taught by a master of your instrument/voice.
5:30 pm Dinner (included for campers on meal plan).
7:00 pm Evening Sessions
SUNDAY: Faculty Concert and Orientation
M,T,W: Faculty Showcase Concerts followed by conducted multi-level Camper Jam Sessions
THURSDAY: Camper Big Band Concert
FRIDAY: Solo Singers Revue and Camper Combos Showcase
2009 FACULTY
Gene Bertoncini (guitar and combos). One of the finest guitarists and most entertaining teachers in the world. Gene's master classes are energetic and rigorous, his combo leadership and arranging are always creative and fun, and his jokes are, well, old (but still funny). This veteran of the Benny Goodman and NBC Tonight Show orchestras as well as hundreds of recordings and performances with just about everyone who's anyone in jazz infuses every camp with wit, charm, and good feeling. Full bio at www.genebertoncini.com
Jim Doser (saxophone, flute, clarinet, combos, big band) is Director of Music for the Penfield (NY) School District, where he also directs the Penfield Music Commission Project (PMCP), a program designed to connect well-known musicians and composers with public school students. A lifelong teacher and former Eastman School faculty member, Jim is also an outstanding reed player whose talents are constantly in demand in the Rochester area.
John Harmon (piano, combos, theory). John Harmon is a multi-talented performer, composer, arranger, and teacher whose credits include compositions for renowned trumpeter Bobby Shew and Latin singer Flora Purim and who has recorded with the legendary reedman Yusef Lateef. "John Harmon's material...covers an amazing range of textures, colors, tempos and moods," enthused the late jazz critic Leonard Feather, "changing so often that the sound of surprise is never more than seconds away." John has recorded two CDs with Janet Planet: Sweet Thunder (Sea Breeze), and More Beautiful Than Planned (Stellar). His own solo CD, Rite of Passage, was released in 1998. For more information, see John Harmon Biography
Tom Hampson (Colors of Jazz). A retired attorney, Tom has served as counsel to Birdseye Foods, musicians Buddy Rich, Alec Wilder, and Marian McPartland, and won one of Rochester, New York's most important First Amendment cases. Tom hosted his first jazz radio show as a Cornell University student in the late 1940s and has supported jazz on the air ever since. He currently hosts Mostly Jazz with Tom Hampson twice weekly on WXXI-AM radio in Rochester.
Clay Jenkins (trumpet) is Associate Professor of Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media at the Eastman School of Music. He can be heard on three live albums with the Stan Kenton Band, Artistry in Symphonic Jazz, A Time for Love, and The Lost Concerts, Vols. I & II. He has also recorded with Milt Jackson, the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Diana Krall, Billy Harper, Lyle Mays, Peter Erskine, Harold Danko, Rufus Reid, Ray Brown, Joe La Barbera, Kurt Elling, Dr. John, Bob Sheppard, Jim Widner, John La Barbera, Pat La Barbera, Eric Reed, Gary Hobbs, Rich Perry, Bill Perkins, Bill Cunliffe, Gary Anderson, Billy Childs, Steve Houghton, Lennie Niehaus, Ernestine Anderson, Karrin Allyson, and Miki Coltrane; and has recorded three albums as a leader--Rings, Give and Gather, Yellow Flowers After, Azure Eyes, and Matters of Time.
Mark Kellogg (trombone). Mark is the consummate musician/educator: Chair of the Chamber Music Department; Associate Professor of Euphonium, Trombone, and Brass Chamber Music; Coordinator, Brass Chamber Music Program; and Faculty member of the Jazz and Contemporary Media Department of the Eastman School of Music. And, oh, yeah, Principal Trombone of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. His jazz credentials include performances with Clark Terry, Chris Vadala, Wynton Marsalis, Eddie Daniels, and Mel Tormé. Recent jazz and commercial recordings include collaborations with Jeff Tyzik, Gene Bertoncini, Allen Vizzutti, Steve Gadd, and Gap Mangione. His newly released jazz recording with Eastman School faculty colleague pianist Tony Caramia, Upstate Standards, celebrates the music of upstate New York composers Harold Arlen, Alec Wilder, and Jimmy Van Heusen.
Kristen Shiner-McGuire (Rhythming, vibes and general fun). Kristen Shiner McGuire is the Director of Percussion Studies and the Assistant Jazz Ensemble Director at Nazareth, where she has taught since 1984; and was the recipient of the 1998 Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree with Highest Honors from the University of Illinois and a Masters degree in Percussion Performance and a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Kristen’s performing talents run the gamut from jazz singer and drummer, solo marimbist, orchestral percussionist and timpanist, to contemporary chamber musician. She has performed with Clark Terry, Johnnie Mathis, Mickey Rooney, the Pan Gaia Steel Band, the New Japan Philharmonic, and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. For more information, go to www.kristenshinermcguire.com
Mike Melito (drums and percussion) began his career at age 16, backing vibraphonist Joe Locke and saxophonist Joe Romano. Since then, he has built an impressive roster as a sideman, playing with the likes of James Moody, Barry Harris, Gene Bertoncini, Harold Danko, Chuck Mangione, Chris Potter, Eric Alexander, Fred Wesley, Danilo Perez, Cyrus Chestnut, Jon Faddis, Vincent Herring, David Hazeltine, Harry Allen, Pat LaBarbera and many more. He has released four CDs as a leader: My Conception (1997), Bout Time (2001), The Next Step (2005) and In the Tradition (2009). For more information, go to www.mikemelito.com.
Janet Planet (vocal jazz). No, that's not her real name, but she's definitely the real thing. Janet's singing has touched the hearts of thousands of fans and critics throughout the world. The late humorist and jazz pianist Steve Allen said "Janet is someone who really knows what singing is all about." Roy Kral (of the jazz duo Jackie & Roy) has called her singing "first rate [with a] high level of professionalism." Jazziz magazine praised her "amazingly powerful voice with seemingly limitless expression." Lawrence University employs her to teach vocal technique. Tritone campers will tell you that Janet's not only a major talent and a hardworking teacher, but a wonderful, fun person to hang with. For more information, see www.janetplanet.com.
Ike Sturm (bass, combos, theory). Ike is a bassist, composer, and leader of the Ike Sturm Ensemble in New York and serves as the Music Director for Jazz at Saint Peter's Church (the renowned "Jazz Church") in Manhattan. He received BM & MM jazz performance degrees at the Eastman School of Music and has studied privately with legendary bassist Dave Holland. Ike has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Wheeler, Gene Bertoncini, Maria Schneider, Peter Erskine and Benny Powell. For more information, see www.ikesturm.com
THE COST
Tuition: $745.00
Tuition plus meal plan (3 meals a day): $995.00
Tuition plus room & board: $1195.00
WHERE ELSE TO STAY
The three closest motels are:
The Del Monte Lodge: a Renaissance Motel, 41 N. Main St., Pittsford, NY 14534, 585-381-9900. Brand-new, less than a mile from Nazareth.
Holiday Inn Express, 2835 Monroe Ave., Rochester, NY, 14618, 585-784-8400. New and a 10-minute drive from Nazareth.
Courtyard by Marriot Penfield, 1000 Linden Park, Rochester, NY 14625, 585-385-1000. About a 7-minute drive from Nazareth.
For other Rochester lodging options, check www.visitrochester.com, then call us for an insider's view of the place, if you'd like.
NEAREST COMMERCIAL AIRPORT Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC).
WHAT TO BRING
Music notebook and pencils.
Jazz fake book. Though they're not required, we suggest bringing a jazz tune collection to use in jam sessions and possibly combos. We recommend The Real Easy Book (Volumes 1 & 2) available through your local music retailer or online at Sher Music Co. www.shermusic.com
Your Instrument(s). You won't need them Sunday night, but you will starting Monday morning. (We supply music stands, but if you have a portable one that you can easily pack, please do. )
For Dormies. Everyone will be staying in Portka Hall on the Nazareth campus. The dorm is arranged in 4-bedroom suites, with two full baths, living room and kitchen (no dishes, though, so if you intend to cook, bring your own). The linen package consists of two bed sheets, one blanket, one pillow case, two bath towels and one washcloth. Unlike hotels, Nazareth does not provide soap or shampoo, so bring your own. The dorm is air-conditioned and contains a common seating area, laundry facilities and vending machines. Internet access is available, but not wireless, so a CAT5 cable would be useful. Parking is free in a nearby campus lot.
Check-in is anytime after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, July 26. Students will check you in and Bob will probably be hanging around to confuse things in whatever way he can.
MEALS
If you've purchased the meal package, meals will be served in the Rehearsal Hall of the Music Building, which will take on the character of a jazz club. Your first meal will be at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. For others, Nazareth has a snack bar and the nearby village of Pittsford offers a wide array of restaurants within walking distance from campus.
GETTING HERE
Nazareth College is at 4245 East Ave. in Rochester, NY, near the village of Pittsford. Their Web site, Nazareth College, contains a campus map and driving directions that you might want to print out and bring with you.
For dormies going to Portka Hall:
From the NYS Thruway, get off at Exit 45 (Rochester-Eastern Suburbs).
Follow I-490 West to Exit 25, Fairport Road/East Rochester and follow the signs for Rte 31F West.
Turn left onto 31F West and take it about 1/2 mile to the second stop light, Rte. 96 South (East Ave.). The entrance to St.John Fisher College will be on your right.
Turn left onto East Ave. In less than a mile, just beyond Irondequoit Country Club, you'll see brick walls on the right with a "Nazareth College, North Campus Drive" sign.
Turn right into the campus and follow the road to the first stop sign.
Turn right. At the second stop sign, you'll see Portka Hall ahead on your right, directly across from Lyons and Breen Halls. Turn right, then left into the parking lot behind Portka. The walkway leads from the parking lot to the second floor of the dorm, where student assistants will be waiting to help you. Most of you will be staying on the second floor; the few who are staying on the first floor can either ride down on the elevator or drive to the front of the building to unload.
For Rochester-based commuters or hotel dwellers:
Take I-490 to Exit 25.
If you were approaching from I-490 East, bear left at the "Y" in the exit and proceed to 31F West. If you were approaching from I-490 West, go to the first light (31F West) and turn left.
Drive about 1/2 mile to the second stop light, Rte. 96 South (East Ave.). The entrance to St. John Fisher College will be on your right. Turn left onto East Ave. and drive to your first signal light.
Turn right onto the Nazareth campus, and right again into Parking Lot A.
The building at the far end of the parking lot--the Gerald C. Wilmot Hall of Music--is where all camp activities take place. Go to the right of the building and enter through the first door on your left. Signs will direct you to the recital hall.
OTHER STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW
What to wear: Most of the camp is very casual. Shorts, jeans and t-shirts are recommended, but you may wish to bring something dressier for the final concerts.
Build some chops. If it's been a while since you played, you might want to spend some time with your instrument. Start slowly and try to play a little every day to gradually restore your chops or your voice. You'll need them.
PAYMENT & REFUND POLICY:
You are not officially registered until we receive a $100 deposit.
Payment in full is required 14 days before the first day of the camp.
Cancelations 30 days or more before the first day of the camp = full refund.
Cancellations 14-30 days before the first day of camp = payment refunded, but not deposit.
CANCELLATION LESS THAN 14 DAYS BEFORE THE FIRST DAY OF CAMP = NO REFUND.