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.