Norberto “Betto” Herrera leading a group of campers in a salsa dance during a performance at Hill Hall. He hosted a salsa class before the concert.
I spent the week of June 24 at UNC-Chapel Hill for the 14th annual Summer Jazz Workshop. In more recent years, a journalism sector of the workshop was added for individuals who want to learn, appreciate and write about jazz. As a journalism student in this jazz workshop, I did that and more. Here are my four key takeaways:
The Faculty is No Joke
I had the privilege of learning from several faculty members at the 2024 UNC Summer Jazz Workshop. It’s easy to forget a person’s qualifications and abilities when they’re lecturing. My professors’ expertise in the classroom was evident, but watching them practice what they preached was nothing short of incredible. True artistry from the class to the stage.
Jazz is Not Just Jazz
Jazz is a term I always considered to be all-encompassing. I likened jazz to elevator music: sultry and calm. After participating in the workshop, I understand that jazz is a musical umbrella with numerous subsections housing endless variations and possibilities.
Impressive Young Artists
The age demographic at UNC Summer Jazz Workshop 2024 was expansive. Among the participants were children, just having picked up their instrument of choice, more mature individuals continuing the mastery of their craft, and every age and ability in between. It was a privilege to watch people of all ages learn from one another and collaborate to make beautiful music.
Jazz is a Language
Most people acknowledge that music is its own language. However, an important concept I learned this week was that jazz stands alone as an individual dialect. The terminology, time, rhythm and skill involved in jazz music is amazingly specific.
Final Thoughts
The 2024 UNC Summer Jazz Workshop was an invaluable experience. Having little experience and skill in music, I was awestruck by the talent and musical intelligence of the faculty and participants. Each performance throughout the week was a testament to the dedication and brilliance necessary to play and appreciate true jazz.
This year, I attended UNC’s 14th annual Summer Jazz Workshop. As a student with no prior musical experience, I was amazed at how much I learned in just one week about jazz history, basic music skills and journalism. Despite a full and busy schedule, here are my four top takeaways from this experience.
Three other students and I participated in reporting live as journalists for this year’s Latin Jazz Dance Night performance at the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop.
Understanding Jazz History and Culture:
I am grateful for the opportunity to learn about jazz history in just one week! The intensive course load broadened my musical horizons, especially since jazz music is not as popular as other genres today. I gained an appreciation for the art of jazz and its historical evolution. The Swing era was my favorite to learn about and had the catchiest rhythms!
Interviewing in Journalism:
For the UNC’s course credit, students were required to take a journalism class. This was my first journalism class, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite part was interviewing fellow students, faculty or performers at the workshop. Andy Bechtel’s class has taught me essential skills and techniques to conduct a professional interview. I learned the importance of a good headline and caption, and it’s harder than you’d think!
Jazz through Student Eyes:
As a part of our attendance grade, we were required to attend daily jam sessions where students practiced for their end of the week performance. I enjoyed hearing about their love for jazz directly from the students themselves and witnessing their passion and hard work during these sessions. These students’ talent and knowledge in the field of jazz is impressive!
Reporting Live Experience:
For our journalism course, we had to report live from a social media platform during a live Latin jazz performance. This was a unique experience for me as reporting as a journalist takes a lot of skill. It was a great performance to report on as the crowd was dancing and grooving along to the live jazz. It was my first time hearing Latin jazz, and I was not disappointed.
Here’s a link to my Twitter page regarding more about the live event and my interview!
Performers at Day 4 of UNC’s Jazz Workshop. The theme of this performance was salsa! 💃🎶
1. You do not have to be an expert at jazz to participate!
While there is a part of the workshop that encourages people with instruments to join the workshop, another segment of the workshop engages students in the history of jazz and applying journalism to jazz.
2. People of all ages are welcome.
Individuals of all ages are encouraged to participate to show off their talents. Jazz is not limited to a certain age group, and all can enjoy it.
An account of this can be shown through an interview of a vocalist participating in this workshop, illustrating how inviting this workshop is and how it’s a fun experience.
3. There’s a packed schedule with a fun itinerary.
The span of UNC’s Summer Jazz Workshop is a week. It’s filled with fun events, which make the days go by fast. The scheduling includes concerts every night, showing different approaches to jazz and how it’s expressed in many cultures.
4. Jazz is more than music.
Jazz allows individuals to create their own sense of style all while promoting cooperation and communication. Performers improvise parts of the music, allowing for creativity and individualism to shine throughout their performances.
This workshop enables many people to experience different aspects of jazz, which helps individuals to appreciate the time and craft that goes into performing.
As a complete novice, I was worried that I would be spending the week counting the hours until it ended. Having no experience with jazz or really any music in a similar category I feared that everyone would be speaking a different language than me. That feeling lasted about 12 hours, through the morning and into the afternoon I was experiences what others may describe as a mild case of “culture shock.” The music sounded like music but did not evoke any emotion. Until Monday night when Rahsaan Barber played “Open Sesame.” This song had all of the characteristics of a jazz tune, while being rhythmic and melodic in a way I could understand and relate to. To tie it all together, Barber and Dan Davis (drummer) put on a spectacular performance that will not been soon forgotten.
Communication matters
Jazz is unique from other music in that it contains lots of improvisation from the whole band. Each member offers their own performance at one point or another either to back up a solo from another artist or for a solo of their own. This requires a level of coordination unheard of in most contemporary pop. Everyone I talked to listed the opportunity to communicate and synchronize with other band members as a top reason for choosing jazz.
Engagement matters
At the beginning of the workshop we had the pleasure of watching Barber play original pieces of music such as “Open Sesame.” This not only earned Barber a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of the night, but made him a can’t miss artist for the rest of the week. On Tuesday I was once again sitting in my assigned seat at the back of the theater. A duo of young men sat in front of me, and I could gather from the presence of noise-cancelling headphones that they may have been attending for compulsory reasons. This lasted about 5 minutes, until once again Barber entered stage right. Headphones immediately went in the backpacks and the duo moved up about 6 rows. This music means a lot to the artists who dedicate themselves to it, and that is not lost on the workshop attendees who likely share the same passion for the art.
Having fun matters
After 5 of the shortest and longest days of my life, I am happy to say that I completed this workshop. If given the chance or need, I would do it again in a heartbeat. When you meet a group of people working hard on a skill or a craft that takes the dedication of a lifetime such as music, I find that hard not to like. To commit is to enjoy, whether you are just practicing by yourself or performing in front of 1,000 people. If you are having fun and giving yourself to the music, you can find joy from that in 5 days or less.
Samuel Kucera, a 13-year-old bass player, proudly poses with his bass during a daily jam session held in the Kenan Music Building as a part of UNC’s Summer Jazz Workshop.
About 150 students are in attendance this year for UNC’s 14th annual Jazz Summer Workshop. This workshop welcomes students of all ages, from middle school and high school students to college students and adults, who are deeply involved in this year’s jazz program. Students are either covering this workshop as journalists or preparing to perform in the final student concert this Friday, June 28, 2024.
Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Samuel Kucera, (preferred name: Sam), a high school student who attends Westcuttert High School from Morehead City, Newport, North Carolina.
Sam is a bass player who has played the the instrument since 7th grade. Originally a guitarist since the age of seven, Sam switched to the bass after discovering his love for the instrument during jazz tryouts in middle school.
“I chose to play the bass, and I’ve loved it ever since,” Sam said. Being at the UNC Jazz Workshop has been a great opportunity for Sam to learn more new techniques while playing, exploring musical theory, and improving his solo’s and chord progression.
Sam’s passion for music is rooted in his family, who encouraged him to start playing an instrument. He has overcome his performance anxiety by being a part of his father’s band, the Big Tree Band. He enjoys playing with them as he finds it has helped his confidence.
He primarily plays jazz and classic rock, as these genres are “complex and pleasing to the ear.” His favorite musicians, specific to bass, are Jaco Pastorius and John Paul Jones, whose style and solo articulation inspire Sam’s solos. He is driven to make “all his solos sound like his.”
Throughout the workshop, Sam has focused on improving his “walking” bass lines and soloing methods, and understanding chord construction — areas he identified as weaknesses. “The instructors here are great. They explain everything well and make it easy to learn,” Sam said.
Sam’s participation in the workshop is motivated by his goal to improve his bass skills, gain a professional learning experience, and connect with his friends who are also a part of the program. However, he expressed his wish for a more in-depth explanation of music theory, wishing that teachers would discuss this topic more rather than just covering the basics.
Sam has also made new friends in the dorms and hallways, and in bass lessons. The supportive environment and the chance to perform with others have contributed to his growth as a musician. “Yeah, I definitely would,” Sam said about whether he would come back to this workshop, as it’s “easy to learn” and the teachers are extremely helpful.
He is excited about his upcoming performance on Friday with his new friends.
K.B’s personal microphone she performs with. A vocalist cannot go without their mic.
This vocalist is a first-time participant in the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop this year, going by the name K.B. (To respect her confidentiality, only initials will be used for this post).
K.B. is a performer, and her choice of instrument is her voice. K.B. says, “Singing is just an instrument.”
The reason why she participated in this workshop was her brother, as he had also done this workshop in the past. She explained how he played many instruments but did not sing, so he suggested this workshop to her.
Often when a vocalist is on stage, they are assumed to be in the spotlight. However, K.B. sees it this way: “Singing is usually the main focus. But the way I think of it, singing is one puzzle piece of the art of jazz, and it adds as much as a trumpet would in a piece.”
When asked what she hoped to gain from the workshop, she wanted to go out of her comfort zone and try new methods of singing because she usually sings to pop music. She tries to practice her runs to help with scatting as well.
In jazz, scatting is a style of improvisation on vocals used to accompany the instruments in jazz, and she wanted to try it. K.B. expressed that she tends to use a nasally voice to add to the music.
Her inspirations for singing are Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. K.B. likes their kinds of singing and feels like she sounds close to them in terms of style.
From California to North Carolina, she always enjoyed singing as a child. After finding recordings of a young K.B. singing in her phone, her mother put her in vocal lessons.
K.B. expressed that while she does intend on singing as a profession, she’d be willing to keep her singing as an enjoyable hobby.
K.B. said that she is enjoying her time at the workshop. She likes how she is able to challenge her creative freedoms through jazz.
“I really like it. I enjoy the combo that I’m in. I like the people,” K.B. said. “Everyone is really good and talented, which I love listening to.”
Carol Beard of Holly Springs, NC. A local vocalists attending the 2024 UNC jazz workshop. Carol is performing in a combo with her husband lead by Nathen Warner.
Carol Beard is a community member from Holly Springs, North Carolina. She is one of the seven vocalists in the 2024 class of the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop.
A lifelong performer and singer, Beard began her musical career in her childhood. In her community theater exploits, she was in several musical performances. She joined and performed with several of her friends, receiving her formal training as a vocalist.
Her background being in musical theater, her first experience with jazz was at the jazz workshop at the University of Louisville. Meeting the people there and seeing the different styles made her fall in love with the art and style of jazz music. Beard and her husband were a staple of that workshop as well, until they moved to North Carolina.
Beard is involved in several of the jazz initiatives in the Triangle area, including the jazz workshop, which she has done for the past three years. Another is the Sharp Nine Gallery in Durham. She says that she enjoys contributing to the rich jazz culture of the region.
All artists, including Beard, draw inspiration from those that come before them. Beard says specifically that she was inspired by Carmen McRae, a prolific vocalist from the 20th century jazz scene. McRae, who in her heyday performed with the likes of Louis Armstrong and Dave Brubeck, is known for recording “Here to Stay” (1950s), “Lover Man” (1962), and “The Great American Song Book” (1972).
Unlike some more modern compositional styles, jazz requires a connection between all of the artists and the song. With all of the improvisation and back and forth of the instruments of the frontline to rhythm to the vocalists, all members need to be compatible for the song to flow. Beard says this is what she enjoys most about performing.
“You are supposed to communicate with each other. It’s like an organism,” she says.
Beard is part of a combo this week that is led by the esteemed Nathan Warner. Beard and her husband are a lovely inclusion to this workshop every year and have a reputation for being kind and enthusiastic participants. They are playing in the same combo at 3 p.m. this Friday, June 28, 2024, at the jazz student performance expo in the Moeser Auditorium.
Baron Tymas posing with his guitar in a professional shoot.
For over a decade, UNC-Chapel Hill has hosted the prestigious UNC Summer Jazz Workshop. Chock full of renowned musicians who are masters in their respective crafts, the workshop promises an abundance of talent to emulate and endless things to learn from the first-rate staff.
Among the gifted musicians and guest professors is Baron Tymas. Here’s what you need to know about this generational talent:
Education
Baron Tymas, originally from the Washington, D.C. area, received his bachelor of arts in English from Howard University. Tymas returned to Howard University post-grad and acquired a master’s degree in Jazz Performance, Jazz Composition, and Jazz Arranging, one of the first students from the university to do so.
Gateway to Music
Tymas first picked up a guitar 50 years ago. Many of his childhood friends played instruments, encouraging him to become familiar with the guitar. 50 years later, Tymas has taken the jazz world by storm with the instrument he describes as “an amazingly inspiring puzzle that keeps revealing cool new things.”
His journey to mastery included learning from his friends, high school teachers, Guitar Player magazine, and his favorite records by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Sly and the Family Stone, Santana, Charlie Parker, and Taj Mahal.
Style
Though he appreciates music worldwide, Tymas says, “Jazz is probably the most appropriate name of a genre that encompasses and invites many of them.” Beyond his talent on guitar in the jazz realm, Tymas dabbles in bass guitar, piano, drums, and vocals, though he mentioned struggling to remember lyrics when it comes time to sing for a crowd.
Teaching
Tymas has lectured at countless schools and workshops. Notably, he served as Associate Professor of Music at N.C. Central University, Adjunct Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar at UNC-Chapel Hill, and currently assumes the role of Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at Concordia University in Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Accomplishments
Tymas is no one-trick pony. Though predominantly a guitarist, he displays expertise in improvisation, composition, arranging, jazz history, ensemble coaching, and education. The Baron Tymas Quartet has released four jazz albums, each receiving high praise from other prominent figures and journals in the jazz community.
His 2017 album, “Montréal,” was described by Midwest Record as “one of those records where everything comes together so righteously that all you have to do is sit back and enjoy it…”
Continued Education
This is Tymas’ third time teaching at the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop, crediting his return with the hope to “spread the joy that [he] experiences playing music” among attendees and spend time with “the wonderful faculty at this camp.”
Though highly educated and highly accomplished, Tymas is still learning. “I have been teaching for several decades and am constantly learning from my students and colleagues…[and] from my own hits and misses,” he says. This time around at the workshop, Tymas learned that “you can have a great time teaching an improv class” even with a larger crowd.
Tymas’ take on the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop
Tymas had nothing but good things to say about the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop. He praised the program’s attention to detail and said that the organized nature of the camp “allows the teachers a sense of security if they want to try innovative things.”
Reflecting on his Career
Achieving the level of mastery that Tymas has is no easy feat. Becoming comfortable with an instrument is only the first step in a lifetime of improvement. Tymas reflects on his music career noting that the most difficult aspect is “finding time to practice.”
However, Tymas also finds practicing to be one of the most rewarding features of his job. Playing with and for people is a highlight for Tymas. He says, “I love the energy exchange when I get to play in a nice room (or outside) with real human beings around who are into it.” Anyone afforded the opportunity to listen to Tymas display his artistry is certainly fortunate.
The auditorium was empty as I searched for a seat. Granted, I arrived 30 minutes early. As I sat with about 5 other Chapel Hill locals in an auditorium of several hundred empty seats, I was not sure how long of an hour I was in for.
As I scrolled on my phone I felt a rumbling … an earthquake possibly? No, it was just the workshop participants. Within 5 minutes the auditorium was full, the rafters vibrating with the sounds of restlessness. The stage lights buzzing, shining on the polished instruments.
As the night kicked off director Stephen Anderson walked out on stage to introduce the artist for the night.Rahsaan Barber the lead performer on the saxophone. The first tune was a classy piece from Barber’s library. Previous to this workshop, I had no jazz experience, unless you include watching “Whiplash” just to hear J.K. Simmons lose his temper for 2 hours straight. I would compare this first song to the final scene of “Whiplash.” The solos were like fireworks. I heard sounds I had never heard in my life before this set.
One notable performance from the ensemble was the drummer Dan Davis. The only way to describe his performance was “cinematic.”Davis was slashing away at the drums like he was fighting a demon — at one point, a drumstick went flying out of his hand landing at the feet of Jerald Shynett on the trombone. Neither artist missed a beat, in the blink of an eye Davis had a new stick in his hand. The next second I looked down at my hands to find that I was clapping.
Jazz, poetry, and other forms of performance art are at their best when the artists are giving their all, when they show you the blood sweat, tears and experience that went into this piece. The music is nice, but as a lay person, I am here to see the artist. It is safe to say that the artist delivered in full.
Yesterday evening, Moeser Auditorium was filled with students, parents, faculty, and locals, all eager to delve into the world of jazz. Stephen Anderson, director of the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop for the past 14 years, sets the tone for the evening’s upcoming performance.
Jazz artist Rahsaan Barber was the star of the show. He opened the show sharing the story behind his first song “Open Sesame.” As Barber rustled through his notes, he began to play his saxophone with stride and power that made it clear he was born to play the saxophone.
“Open Sesame” was enlightening, especially for my first jazz concert. The musicians were in perfect harmony, as each instrumentalist played an important role in the composition. Each front-line instrumentalist had their own solo.
The saxophone stood out most, followed closely by trumpet player Nathan Warner and piano player Ed Paolantonio. Their energy and enthusiasm filled the auditorium with a love for jazz.
After “Open Sesame,” Barber says “let’s cha cha cha” to “Brooklyn en la Casa”, a piece that began with a deep bass solo, setting a dark mood. After his solo, the rest of the musicians followed effortlessly with a powerful melody led by trombone player Jerald Shynett and the saxophone. This performance demonstrated the world of jazz live.
Next, Barber performed “Down in My Soul,” a piece that reminded him of his mother. This was personally my favorite piece, because of the intricate trumpet solo. The cheers from the audience uplifted the performers, making it an amazing experience for the students.
“Her Family Calls Her Claire” followed, beginning with a lullaby-like piano solo, soon joined by the bass played by Jason Foureman and drummer Dan Davis. The saxophone and trombone carried the melody into a beautiful harmonic piece. This piece felt more emotional than the others because of a bass solo.
Barber’s final piece was a funk song dedicated to his favorite saxophonist, a local from North Carolina. He invited the audience to clap along in tempo with the music. This was an audience favorite, as the energy in the auditorium shifted.
Barber’s energetic performance had the audience nodding their heads, stomping their feet, and clapping in rhythm. The saxophone’s high pitches, and dynamic drumming, only made the audience want more!
Rahsaan Barber’s performance showcased the musician’s talents and passion thoroughly as their love for jazz soared through the auditorium, without breaking a sweat! As a non-musician, I was able to understand their dedication to jazz.
This evening brought together a community of music lovers, a memorable night for all. Dr. Rahsaan Barber is truly something special, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to attend!
