Ninth Annual UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival
Summer 2017聽
In March, UCF presented its ninth annual UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival. The event provides a platform for students and serves the community by bringing world-renowned jazz performers 麻豆精品 S� from 88-year-old Benny Golson to 22-year-old Veronica Swift 麻豆精品 S� to Central Florida. This year 麻豆精品 S檚 festival included performances from guitarist Peter Bernstein, trumpeter Leroy Jones, The Jazz Professors, the Flying Horse Big Band and five Florida high school jazz bands.
麻豆精品 S淯CF is the only performing arts school in the world that has both a 24/7 NPR jazz station [89.9 FM] and a record label. In our first year, the jazz festival was broadcast on PRI International all over the world. 麻豆精品 S�Jeff Rupert, Pegasus Professor and director of jazz studies
麻豆精品 S淛azz festivals are an important part of keeping the music going, they have been for decades, 麻豆精品 S� says Richard Drexler, instructor at UCF and bass player for The Jazz Professors. 麻豆精品 S淗aving one here gets the opportunity to have famous, world-class players come that normally would not be here.
麻豆精品 S淚 grew up with music in Illinois, living about two hours from Chicago. We would regularly drive to the Jazz Showcase or other venues and hear the famous players, that we all listened to on records. Those venues are few and far between; whereas nowadays, the younger players have incredible access to basically everything ever recorded with Spotify, YouTube and so forth.
麻豆精品 S淭he one thing that these younger players don 麻豆精品 S檛 have access to is catching the live musicians in clubs like that. It 麻豆精品 S檚 very rare. The next best thing is in a concert setting in a festival. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淔olks have tried to define jazz for years, 麻豆精品 S� says Jeff Rupert, Pegasus Professor, director of jazz studies, and saxophonist for The Jazz Professors. 麻豆精品 S淸Jazz pianist educator] Lewis Porter has four definitions of jazz, but I think an easier way to kind of wrap our arms around it is to realize that jazz really embodies the American spirit 麻豆精品 S� that rugged individualism that we talk about, that free-spirited nature. Jazz music is about being an individual within a group setting. It 麻豆精品 S檚 really profound how the music really embodies the tenor or the vibe of the country. 麻豆精品 S�
Jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein was one of the headline acts at the 2016 UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival.
Instructor Marty Morell plays the drums for The Jazz Professors.
Assistant professor Per Danielsson plays piano for The Jazz Professors.
