UMKC Jazz Camp

June 21 - 26, 2009

Designed for instrumentalists from middle school through adults, UMKC Jazz Camp features bass player and bandleader Jim Widner as well as UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance jazz studies faculty. Participants will be exposed to all aspects of jazz through master classes, ensemble work, theory and improvisation training and concerts. UMKC is located in the heart of Kansas City, minutes away from the city's unique American Jazz Museum in the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District.

An alumnus of the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and Glenn Miller big bands, Jim Widner is a coordinator of jazz studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and is a national Yamaha performing artist. Saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator Bobby Watson is the William and Mary Grant/Missouri Professor of Jazz and the director of jazz studies at UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance. Michael Pagán joined the Conservatory faculty as assistant director of jazz studies in fall of 2005. His teaching duties include jazz improvisation, jazz styles and analysis, jazz piano, and the 11 O'Clock Jazz Band. Danny Embrey has earned a reputation as one of the world's leading jazz guitarists. In addition to recording and playing, Embrey is in demand as an arranger, composer, and producer. Stan Kessler is a trumpet/flugelhorn player, band leader, clinician and educator in the Kansas City area. He also does extensive writing and arranging for small groups. Steve Dekker holds degrees in trombone performance and jazz composition from Towson University, where he studied with Hank Levi. He was also a member of the First United States Army Band at Fort Meade, Maryland, where he played lead and jazz trombone, bass guitar, and was a staff arranger. Doug Auwarter is a much sought-after drum set artist doing performances, clinics, and private teaching. He has played numerous shows and concerts with such people as George Burns, the Smothers Brothers, Joan Rivers, and many others. Dan Thomas is a dedicated performer and educator, as well as a fixture on the Kansas City jazz scene. An adjunct assistant professor of jazz studies at UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Thomas has earned numerous awards for both jazz and classical performances, and is also a three-time recipient of the Who's Who Among America's Educators award.

INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPANTS

All participants should meet at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center on the UMKC campus (street address: 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City MO 64110) at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 21, 2009. Participants staying in the on-campus housing will proceed to their residence hall check-in following the placement auditions and the faculty concert.

Commuters should plan to bring either a brown-bag lunch each day, or should budget a daily amount to purchase lunch at the UMKC cafeteria. Students staying at the residence hall will be provided with breakfast but should budget a daily amount for lunch and dinner. UMKC Jazz Camp counselors will take students to the UMKC cafeteria or other locations on the UMKC campus for lunch and dinner each day.

UMKC Jazz Camp Daily Schedule

Sunday, June 21, 2009

2:00 - 3:00 pm: Registration

3:00 - 4:00 pm: Auditions

4:15 pm: Informal Faculty Concert (refreshments to follow)

Monday, June 22 - Thursday, June 25, 2009

9:30 - 10:50 am: Improvisation and Theory

11:00 - 11:50 am: Masterclass

12:00 - 12:50 pm: Lunch

1:00 - 2:30 pm: Combo Rehearsals

3:00 - 4:00 pm: Faculty Concert

Friday, June 26, 2009

9:30 - 10:50 am: Masterclass

11:00 - 11:50 am: Combo Rehearsals

12:00 - 12:50 pm: Lunch

1:15 - 3:15 pm: Combo Concert (free and open to the public)

UMKC Jazz Camp Faculty Biographies

JIM WIDNER An alumnus of the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and Glenn Miller big bands, Jim Widner is celebrating his 18th year of hosting summer camps all across the United States. As a bassist with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Jim was strongly influenced and motivated by Kenton’s dedication to young student musicians and was a faculty member of the Kenton camps for 10 years. Jim has performed at the world famous Lionel Hampton and Montreaux Jazz Festivals. His performance background includes concert dates with Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Mulgrew Miller, Louis Bellson, Randy Brecker, Bill Watrous, Marilyn Maye, and an appearance before former President Bill Clinton. Jim is a Coordinator of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri - St. Louis and is a national Yamaha performing artist. www.jimwidnerbigband.com

BOBBY WATSON A saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator, Bobby Watson trained formally at the University of Miami and then earned his “doctorate” as musical director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, the ultimate “postgraduate school” for ambitious young players. Along the way, he worked with such notable jazz artists as Max Roach, Louis Hayes, George Coleman, Sam Rivers and Wynton and Branford Marsalis, as well as vocalists Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, and Carmen Lundy. Later, in association with bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Victor Lewis, Watson launched the first edition of Horizon, his acoustic quintet. He has also led the High court of Swing (a tribute to the music of Johnny Hodges), The Tailor-Made Big Band and is a founding member of the highly acclaimed 29th Street Saxophone Quartet. Watson also wrote original music for the sound track of Robert Deniro’s directorial debut “A Bronx Tale”.

Bobby has recorded 26 records as a leader and appears on over 80 recordings to date. He has over 100 compositions recorded, and his long time publisher, Second Floor Music, publishes many of his original combo and big band arrangements. His latest project recorded on Palmetto records is entitled "Live and Learn". Bobby was a member of the adjunct faculty and taught private saxophone at William Patterson University from 85-86 and Manhattan School of Music from 1996-1999. In 2000, Bobby was awarded the first; "William and Mary Grant/Missouri Professor of Jazz" endowed professorship in jazz and serves as the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri/Kansas City, Conservatory of Music and Dance.

MICHAEL PAGÁN joined the Conservatory faculty as Assistant Director of Jazz Studies in the Fall of 2005. His teaching duties include jazz improvisation, jazz styles and analysis, jazz piano, and the 11 O'clock jazz band. Prior to his UMKC appointment, Mike was on the jazz faculty at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he served as Interim Director of Jazz Studies. He has also served as Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Pagán received his Doctor of Music degree from Northwestern University and his Master of Arts degree from Kent State University, both in composition. His Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education is also from Kent State University. Dr. Pagán has received numerous awards and commissions for his compositions and arrangements, including First Prize, New Music for Young Ensembles composers competition, which included a Carnegie Hall premiere; commissions from Michigan Music Teachers Association, the Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra, WLS-TV Channel 7, Chicago, and high schools and colleges throughout the country. Mike is much in demand as a jazz pianist, having performed professionally for nearly thirty years with many jazz greats including Gary Burton, Slide Hampton, Robin Eubanks, Wallace Roney, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm, Lennie Niehaus, Frank Tiberi, Billy Hart, Milt Hinton, and John Clayton, among many others. He has most recently performed with Kenny Wheeler, Ralph Peterson, Jiggs Whigham, and Greg Abate, with whom he recorded. Downbeat Magazine has called him "a versatile keyboard improviser" and his debut CD “Is Waiting For You” (Cadence Jazz Records) met with much critical acclaim; Andrew Bartlett for Arts Midwest said "this is one of the finest bop-oriented dates I've listened in on lately." His solo piano release entitled Nobody Else But Me (Capri Jazz Records) received similar accolades; Scott Yanow’s review of it described Pagán as “a superior jazz pianist” and Brad Weismann of The Colorado Daily said "If Bach had played jazz, it might have sounded like this." In 2004 Dr. Pagán traveled to The Netherlands, appearing as solo jazz pianist at "Grand Café Meneer Frits" in Eindhoven and in concert with the Pagán/Walter Duo (Doug Walter, vibraphone) in Thorn. Other recent appearances include a performance at the World Saxophone Congress in Minneapolis; a residency at Rhode Island College, and premieres of commissioned works for the jazz ensembles of Long Beach (CA) Polytechnic and New Trier (IL ) High Schools. In 2005 he was a guest artist/clinician at the Ashland University jazz festival in Ohio and conductor of the Colorado All-State Jazz Ensemble. Michael Pagán's compositions and arrangements are available through P&D Jazz Publications, Dutch Music Partners of The Netherlands, and UNC Jazz Press.

DANNY EMBREY toured and performed during the 1980s with Sergio Mendes and Clare Fischer’s Latin Band. With the Sergio Mendes Band, he traveled the globe. "My first trip with Sergio was seven weeks in Europe; then, we went to South Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, and Australia." He recalls playing for King Hussein in Jordan and the Reagans in the East Room of the White House. There were also television appearances on Solid Gold, The Merv Griffin Show, and The Johnny Carson Show. While in the Los Angeles area he also toured and/or recorded with such notables as Gary Foster, Steve Houghton, Alan Broadbent, Gene Harris, Bob Brookmeyer, Bob Sheppard, Barry White, Shelly Manne, Monty Budwig, Annie Ross, Sam Most, and Leroy Vinnegar. When Embrey left the Sergio Mendes group, he moved to Seattle, WA where he would spend the next two years. Living in the Seattle area gave him the opportunity to work the local area, continue to work the west coast, and to begin a new phase in his career. Chuck Israels asked Embrey to join him as a guitar instructor at Western Washington University. He became a member of the IAJE and did clinics in Seattle, Interlochen, Mi, and in Canada. Upon returning to Kansas City area Embrey recorded and toured with jazz artist, Karrin Allyson, Interstring, Frank Mantooth, Sons of Brasil and numerous others world-class jazz groups. Embrey appears on 8 of Allyson's recordings and has toured worldwide as her musical director and he was co-producer on 2 of her albums: "I Didn't Know About You," and "Azure-Te." The Interstring connection resulted in two more highly acclaimed albums: "Odahoda" and Winter Song." Embrey also recorded during this time with Mike Metheny, PBT Trio, the Blvd Big Band, Angela Hagenbach. Pat Wilson, Margaret Carlson, Ed Pharr, Charlie Gatshet and numerous others.

STAN KESSLER is a Trumpet/Flugelhorn player, band leader, clinician, and educator in the Kansas City area. He also does extensive writing and arranging for small groups. Stan also plays drums and hand percussion. He is currently leading The Sons of Brasil (14 yrs.) , The Stan Kessler Quartet (12yrs.), Stan Kessler's TV , HoraceScope and The Uncertainty Principle. He maintains adjunct positions at The University of Missouri at Kansas City and Missouri Western State College in jazz trumpet, theory and improvisation, and music business classes. Stan graduated from Shawnee Mission South H.S. in 1970 with honors. From 1968 to 1970, he was principal trumpet in the K.C. Youth Symphony. In 1970, Stan was awarded first chair all- state trumpet in Kansas. He attended Kansas University and Wichita State University from 1970 to 1972. For the last 33 years, Stan has been a member of every kind of group you could imagine. He has lead such bands as Stan Kessler and the Flat Five, Eightball, and Baby Leroy. His expertise includes jazz, R&B, funk, and all latin genres, especially brasilian and afro- cuban. In 1980, Stan was assistant director of the jazz ensemble and combo instructor at UMKC. He was voted best trumpet player and leader of the best jazz band (SOBs) in KC by the Pitch readers poll. He has appeared in concert with Clark Terry, Paquito D'Rivera, Ernie Watts, Gary Foster, Karrin Allyson, Kevin Mahogany, Bobby Watson, John Clayton, Kim Park, and many others.

Trumpet

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