The UCSD
Jazz Camp has just riffed its way through its second toe-tapping
summer. Filled with students ranging from 14 to 65, the camp covered
the full spectrum of jazz styles, from mid-1940s bebop to the more
contemporary, open-form improvisations. Pianists, bassists, drummers,
saxophonists, trumpeters and trombonists all started their day
with Jazz History and Theory at 9 a.m. and strummed, thrummed and
blew their way through till the evening jam sessions at 9:30 p.m.
Instructors, such as longtime jazz trumpet player and former UCSD
Jazz Ensemble member James Zollar, gave hour-long one-on-one sessions
in which they told each student to “play what you feel.” And
that is exactly what they all did in the student showcase concert
on the last night. Dan Atkinson, a director at UCSD Extension worked
with the UCSD Music department to create the program and it has
proven so successful that it will most probably continue next year.
So if you’ve ever dreamed of groovin’ with Gillespie
or boppin’ with Basie, why not think about jazzing it up
for a week on
campus next summer. For more information email: jazzcamp@ucsd.edu.  |
