Juilliard Jazz

An Overview

The 2007-08 season marks the seventh anniversary of Juilliard Jazz, the newest program of performance education inaugurated by Juilliard, itself commencing its 102nd season. Its music division, world-renowned for the quality of its performance education and its many celebrated alumni musicians, dancers, and actors, offers bachelor and master of music degrees in jazz, as well as an Artist Diploma via the pre-professional Juilliard Institute for Jazz Studies, a collaboration of Juilliard and Jazz at Lincoln Center. All together, it is a curriculum designed to maximize professional opportunities, onstage and academically, with equal opportunity for performance and tailored studio and coursework.

Juilliard Jazz always tours and this season they travel to Aiken, SC and St. Louis, MO, having recently returned from Detroit and their debut appearance at the Detroit Jazz and Heritage Festival, with Artistic Director Carl Allen. Last summer they were in residence in Doha, Qatar. The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and its ensembles have traveled to Costa Rica six times, Japan two times, the Festival de Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy three times, and made three visits to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Juilliard Jazz faculty and students have taught and performed for the past four years at the Festival de Jazz in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.

The debut of the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra took place on Tuesday, October 30, 2001 at 8 PM in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Guest artists Wynton Marsalis (trumpet) and former Director of Jazz Studies at Juilliard Victor Goines (clarinet/saxophone) joined in the debut performance under the direction of conductor Michael Morgan. February 2003 marked the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra’s debut at Birdland. Today, the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and its ensembles play more than 50 local performances annually, and tour each spring to campuses in the US. Juilliard Jazz Ensembles perform regularly at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, and for the past several season has enjoyed week-long runs at JALC with guest artists such as Gerald Wilson, Bobby Watson, Ernie Andrews, Tom Harrell, Sean Jones, Maria Schneider, and Paquito D'Rivera.

While long-known for the remarkable roster of classical musicians who studied there, Juilliard’s noted alumni also include numerous musicians who cross all styles of jazz, including: the late Sir Roland Hanna, who received his Bachelor of Music degree in piano in 1956; vocalist Freddy Cole, who studied at Juilliard before attending the New England Conservatory; trumpeter Miles Davis who began his time at Juilliard simultaneously with his immersion into the culture of New York’s 52nd Street jazz mecca; pianist Andy LaVerne, who attended Juilliard’s Saturday Pre-College classes for musicians ages eight to eighteen; flutist Hubert Laws, a Juilliard graduate from the class of 1964, who played principal flute at the Metropolitan Opera before the call of jazz became too strong; bassist Christian McBride, whose short stay at Juilliard prefaced his remarkable career. His return to Juilliard as guest artist in last season’s “Jazz Legends” concert prefaced his recent week of master classes and coachings that culminated in a performance with the Juilliard Jazz ensembles to start the Juilliard Jazz 2007-08 season. Percussionist Tito Puente used his GI Bill of Rights to attend Juilliard; singer Nina Simone studied piano at Juilliard’s summer school, which existed from 1932 to 1952; and, of course, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis entered Juilliard at age 17 and is founding artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. The quality of Juilliard’s performance education, the skill of its studio and classroom faculty, and its proximity to and collaborative relationships with the twelve other constituents of Lincoln Center, have given Juilliard performers — musicians, dancers, and actors — unique opportunities for professional development while still attending the School.

Each student’s individualized curriculum stresses performance experience in the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and small ensembles that will perform locally and on tour. Required courses jazz history, jazz improvisation, jazz composition and arranging, Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, small jazz ensemble, piano skills, and elements of music are carefully interrelated to performance needs and practical application. Placement exams and auditions may exempt some Institute musicians from specific courses — ear training, piano skills, and literature and materials of music — where the performer can demonstrate an existing high degree of accomplishment.

The talented young musicians from across the country who are accepted by Juilliard Jazz are taught by of some of today’s most active, innovative, and respected jazz musicians. The Juilliard Jazz faculty combines a remarkable variety of technical and musical skill, as well as extensive performance experience on stages large and small worldwide, in the recording studio, on television and in film.

Carl Allen, Artistic Director
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.

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. His first hometown gigs were with sax greats Sonny Stitt and Red Holloway at the young age of 16 years old. Allen studied at The University of Wisconsin at Green Bay from 1979 to 1981, and transferred to William Paterson 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 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. In 2001 Allen was called upon to tour with the first acoustic version of The Brecker Brothers with Michael and Randy Brecker. His 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). Mr. Allen's latest CD is Get Ready with Rodney Whitaker featuring Cyrus Chestnut, piano, Rodney Jones, guitar, Dorsey "Rob" Robinson, organ, and Steve Wilson, saxophone.