Jazz Studies Program
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program: Serious About America’s Music - JAZZ
The University of Louisville School of Music is pleased to be the home of the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program. Established in 1985, the program was named for Mr. Aebersold in 2000. Mr. Aebersold, a retired faculty member, is one of the leading proponents of jazz education and largest publisher of jazz education materials in the world. Additionally, the School of Music has hosted the Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops since 1977. The Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program is recognized throughout the nation and world for its commitment to quality and innovative programs.
Jazz degrees include a Bachelor of Music with an Emphasis in Jazz Performance. This degree will offer students a complete undergraduate jazz experience. Our newest degree is a Bachelor of Music with an Emphasis in Music Therapy with an optional Concentration in Jazz, an excellent experience for any music therapy student who is interested in jazz. We also have a Bachelor of Arts with an Emphasis in Jazz Studies. This degree is designed for the student interested in a diverse educational experience while developing their jazz skills. Our Master’s degrees include a Master of Music with a Concentration in Jazz Performance and Master of Music with a Concentration in Jazz Composition and Arranging. Each gives the student a focused jazz experience in the Master’s setting. Scholarship assistance is available for graduate and undergraduate students wishing to focus their study in jazz.
The program features extended residencies by leading jazz artists, as well as a continuation of the exciting annual Jazz Week every February, which features a week-long celebration of jazz with concerts, workshops, and clinics. Founded in 1992, Jazz Week, now known as Jazz Fest, is an event that regularly features some of the biggest names in the jazz world, including Dave Brubeck Quartet, Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, McCoy Tyner Trio, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Billy Taylor, Michael Brecker, Chick Corea, Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Paquito D’Rivera, Ahmad Jamal Trio, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Roy Haynes Quartet, Jon Hendricks, Marian McPartland, Lee Konitz and Houston Person just to name a few of our guest artists. Other artists who have appeared at the School of Music include Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Marcus Printup, Jerry Bergonzi, Bud Shank, Terell Stafford, Roland Vazquez Ensemble, Joe La Barbera, Eric Alexander, Antonio Hart, Dick Oatts, Byron Stripling, Dave Samuels, Kenny Werner Trio, Jeff Hamilton Trio, Peter Erskine Trio, the Heath Brothers (Percy, Jimmy and Tootie) and Sammy Figueroa and his Latin Jazz Explosion.
The Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program was one of only a few prestigious institutions in the United States selected to participate in an international music exchange sponsored by the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress. Support for the Open World cultural program was provided through partnership and funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Jazz Studies Program played host to six hand-selected groups of jazz musicians and jazz educators from throughout Russia. The goal was to afford these fine musicians and educators the opportunity to experience life in America with a special focus on jazz. In addition to home stays with area families, visiting local places of interest and witnessing our political process in action, their experience included taking lessons; participating in master classes; playing alongside our musicians in rehearsals, performance, jam and recording sessions; listening to jazz in a variety of venues and much more. In addition to UofL Jazz faculty, our guests worked with Chick Corea, Paquito D’Rivera, the Heath Brothers (Percy, Jimmy and Tootie), Jon Hendricks, David Baker, Jamey Aebersold, and pianist Harry Pickens to mention but a few. Recently the Jazz Studies Program received a FIPSE/CAPES grant for the exchange of students between the University of Louisville and the Universidade de Brasília. Students from each institution will spend a semester studying and experiencing the music and culture of a foreign land.
Student and faculty groups, from a duo to more than forty, have toured and performed in numerous foreign countries. These countries include Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Ecuador, England, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago and Wales. In addition to our continued interaction with Russian and Brazilian musicians, there are exchange programs currently in place with the Akademia Muzyczna in Katowice, Poland; the Central Conservatorium of Music in Rockhampton, Australia; Universidade de Brasília in Brasilia, Brazil; and EMU Edcacion Musical in La Plata, Argentina. Exchanges with institutions in Ecuador and additional ones in Brazil are being developed. Finally, the Jazz Studies Program hosted the 2006 International Association of Schools of Jazz Annual Meeting and Jazz Faculty presented extended workshops in the Barbados (2006), Sao Paulo and Brasilia (2008) and Trinidad (2010).
The prestigious faculty includes Professor John La Barbera, an alumnus of the Buddy Rich Band and national figure among active jazz composers and arrangers, recently receiving a Grammy nomination for his recording On The Wild Side; saxophonist and Fulbright Senior Specialist Michael Tracy, who is Director of the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program, Professor of Music and the author of Jazz Piano Voicings for the Non-Pianist and co-author of Pocket Changes and Pocket Changes II; Professor Jerry Tolson (saxophonist and vocalist), who performs regionally and is an active composer/arranger; trumpeter Dr. Anysn Banks (Assistant Professor) is a gifted instrumentalist and educator specializing in trumpet pedagogy; and pianist/bassist Chris Fitzgerald, an extraordinary performer, composer and educator. Additional faculty include Tyrone Wheeler, lecturer of jazz bass who is known for his work with numerous local and regional groups and can be heard on numerous Jamey Aebersold Play-Along CDs; pianist Jim Connerley, an outstanding performer and educator; Craig Wagner, a fantastic guitarist who is at home playing contemporary and traditional jazz styles; and drummer Jason Tiemann, an exceptional performer with extensive teaching experience. In addition, each of the faculty are active regionally, nationally, and internationally as educators, adjudicators, and performers in such recognized workshops as the Skidmore Jazz Institute and the Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops.
JEN Conference promotional jazz faculty CD notes.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...
Michael A. Tracy, Director
Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program
University of Louisville - School of Music
Louisville, KY 40292
502 852 6032 office502 852 0520 fax
Email: miketracy@louisville.eduInternet: http://jazz.louisville.edu/
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Programs, Performers, Photos & News
2013 Jazz Fest February 23, 2013
-- Javon Jackson @ U of L’s Comstock Hall (LEO Weekly)
-- Twenty years of jazz (LEO Weekly)
-- JAZZ EVENT CALENDAR for 2013 (printable version)
--University of Louisville 2013 Jazz Festival
-- ENDOWMENTS
-- JAZZ-IN-THE-SCHOOLS PROGRAM
-- Jamey Aebersold SUMMER JAZZ WORKSHOPS
-- PAST EVENTS
2013 Jazz Fest February 22, 2013
Jazz Faculty
Shown in the photo from left to right: Jason Tiemann, John La Barbera, Jim Connerley, Craig Wagner, Chris Fitzgerald, Ansyn Banks, Tyrone Wheeler, Mike Tracy, Jerry Tolson
Ansyn Banks - Jazz Trumpet
Jim Connerley - Jazz Piano
Chris Fitzgerald - Jazz Piano/Bass, Jazz Theory
John La Barbera -Jazz Trumpet, Jazz Arranging and Composition
Jason Tiemann - Jazz Drum Set
Jerry Tolson - Jazz Vocal, Jazz History and Styles
Mike Tracy - Jazz Saxophone, Jazz Repertoire, Director
Craig Wagner - Jazz Guitar
Tyrone Wheeler - Jazz Bass
Graduates of the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program 
Music Grad Student, Anderson Pessoa, Delivers December 2009 Commencement Address. Anderson Pessoa, (photo at right) graduate student in Jazz performance of the School of Music, was the Fall 2009 student commencement speaker at the December 17 graduation ceremony. For the full story, read the UofL Today Article.
Degree & Course Offerings
Undergraduate Degree
Graduate Degree
Jazz Program Handbook 2012-203
Entrance Requirements: Undergraduate and Masters audition guidelines.
Jazz Course Offerings
View the course listings for each of the following degree programs.
- Music with Emphasis in Jazz Performance (BM)
- Music with Emphasis in Jazz Studies (BA)
- Master of Music in Music Composition
Audition Material
Ensembles
View all the jazz ensembles available to students studying jazz at the School of Music.
Graduate Jazz Recital Requirements: Graduate jazz recital requirements for Composition/Arranging and Jazz Studies.
