As we wrap up the last day of this year’s UNC Summer Jazz Workshop, I want to take a moment to reflect on these four takeaways from the experience.
1. Players of all skill levels (and non players) are welcome
The workshop staff are adept at holding lessons at different levels and forming performance combos that work with players at various levels. In addition, if you don’t play an instrument and love jazz, you can join the journalism section of the course and write articles like this! Do not let lack of experience keep you from participating.
2. The nightly concerts feature some of the best performances in the area
The workshop’s nightly concerts are free and open to the public. They feature professional artists from across the country as well as some of UNC’s talented faculty. This year saw performances from Al Strong, Roland and Rahsaan Barber, Jerald Shynett, Ed Paolantonio, Keith Ganz, Jason Foureman, Kobie Watkins, Dan Davis, Dr. Juan Alamo, Dr. Gregg Gelb, and of course Dr. Stephen Anderson, the director of the program. Even if you are not a part of the workshop, make sure to tune in for next year’s concerts!
3. Check out #UNCjazz on Twitter to see performance highlights
Every year, students in the journalism section of the workshop post live images and footage from one of the nightly concerts. If you missed the performances, make sure to check out #UNCjazz on Twitter. This year we covered Thursday’s Latin dance night.
4. You’ll learn a lot about jazz history
From the early jazz of the 1920s to modern funk of the 1980s, Dan Davis will make sure you leave the workshop with much more knowledge of the genre than you walked in with. Professor Davis makes class fun and interesting, introducing you to many influential artists throughout history. You’ll also learn basic music theory on the piano.
The summer workshop truly is an experience you won’t want to miss, so make sure to keep an eye out for next year’s sign up!
Samuel Edoho-Eket with his bass recorder in the Hill Hall rehearsal room on the UNC campus.
I spotted Samuel Edoho-Eket during the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop’s nightly advanced jam session this past Tuesday night. In addition to being an adept player, he seemed like an incredibly friendly individual. I was proven correct and granted the opportunity to interview him the next day.
I expected an interesting interview, knowing that Edoho-Eket experimented with a variety of instruments. What I did not expect, however, was to hear about his special connection to professional jazz musicians Rahsaan and Roland Barber.
I found Edoho-Eket during lunchtime following one of the workshop’s improv lessons. His bass recorder was still in-hand, a surprising sight as it added yet another instrument to my mental list of what he could play. While his workshop name-tag would tell you that Edoho-Eket is a trombonist, you can find him playing alto saxophone and trumpet during the week’s jam sessions.
I make my surprise at the sight of the new instrument known, and Edoho-Eket explains that recorder was his first instrument, having been introduced to it through his elementary school. He pulls out yet another recorder, this time pocket-sized, and laughs at how his fingers are too big for the holes. Regardless, he is able to play a sweet tune on it and I feel compelled to ask how many instruments he can play.
“Play well?” He jokes before explaining that he has experience with trombone “off and on” for 33 years, recorder since age nine for a total of 34 years, alto saxophone for a year and a half, and trumpet for six months.
With so many instruments under his belt, I wonder what Edoho-Eket does for a living. He explains that math and science were always his strong suits, leading him towards a career in IT. While music is extremely important to him, it remains more of a hobby than a profession. He tells me that entrepreneurship was always an interest of his, a goal he decided to pursue following the death of his grandmother. “She was a pillar of the family,” he says. “Her death made me realize that life is short.”
As surprised as I was by the bass recorder, I was even more so upon learning that Edoho-Eket grew up with renowned musicians and UNC SJW concert performers Rahsaan and Roland Barber. They met in their shared hometown of Nashville Tennessee, even attending secondary school together. “Rahsaan was the first person I saw when I walked in,” Edoho-Eket recounts. Little did he know that meeting would lead to many future visits to the Barbers’ house.
The Barber twins were “all in, 100%, every day.” Edoho-Eket says. Musical instruments were always present at the Barber household, where he would spend much of his time hanging out and discussing music. “Pretty much everything I know I credit [to] them,” he adds.
It was Roland’s trombone instructor, Tom Lundberg, who taught Edoho-Eket to play without puffed cheeks. His lessons were invaluable to Edoho-Eket, who to this day wishes he hadn’t “wasted” his first five years on the instrument without instruction.
This is Edoho-Eket’s second year at UNC’s Summer Jazz Workshop. He says that he has a great time reconnecting with the Barbers and is deeply appreciative of his mother — who flew in for the week — and wife taking care of their children while he is here.
Edoho-Eket’s favorite part of the workshop is getting to play with the other musicians. He especially enjoyed the opportunity to receive one-on-one instruction from professional trumpeter Al Strong, who gave a fantastic performance on campus this past Monday night.
Edoho-Eket describes the experience of playing next to Strong in jam sessions as “incredible” and “the pinnacle of [his] quote unquote ‘musical career.’” He worked crazy hours last week at his IT job to be able to attend the workshop, which he considers a vacation.
“It’s an unbelievable experience,” he tells me with a smile.
Al Strong, Rahsaan and Roland Barber, Stephen Anderson, Jason Foureman, and Kobie Watkins played at UNC’s Moeser Auditorium Monday night. It was the first performance of 2023’s UNC Summer Jazz Workshop’s nightly concerts, featuring trumpeter Al Strong’s original compositions as well as his take on a few classic jazz tunes.
The first song of the night, “Lullaby for the Ancestors,” begins with all six performers blaring in unison before gradually becoming sweet and melodious. The arrangement then becomes quiet to make room for solos.
The trumpet comes first, followed by the bass. All the while, drummer Watkins’ hands bounce in a syncopated rhythm from the rim of his snare to his hi-hat. Strong and the Barbers follow in unison, the sound of brass and saxophone blending richly.
Anderson’s piano solo follows, featuring an erratic and unending stream of syncopated notes, a perfect bridge from the previous brassy tones. The ensemble crescendos before cutting off suddenly and Rahsaan Barber picks up repetitive runs on his saxophone. All goes quiet for Strong’s bluesy trumpet solo before an enormous crescendo that seamlessly blends into a fresh take on “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
Throughout the entire performance, the musicians’ love for their craft is evident on their faces. Each player nods their head and furrows their brow in appreciation for each other’s solos. Watkins is constantly beaming, and I wonder how his arms never tire as he expertly keeps the beat. Foureman’s entire body follows his hands as they rhythmically bounce up and down his bass.
Highlights from the night include Roland Barber’s imposing and elephant-like improvisations on trombone, as well as the equally impactful quiet and breathy moments Strong created with whisper tones on trumpet.
Perhaps the best moment of the concert was the final blues song, which featured the audience’s participation. Strong encouraged the crowd to clap along to the beat as well as created a call and response. He beams at the conclusion, announcing that we successively chased off the blues. The audience reciprocates his enthusiasm with a standing ovation.
Monday’s concert set a high standard of artistic excellence as the workshop looks forward to the rest of the week’s performances.
