Jazz Studies at Utah State includes jazz theory, improvisation, and history, as well as opportunities to conduct, perform in, and write for big band and small groups. Our big bands, the Jazz Orchestra and the Jazz Ensemble, perform regionally at jazz festivals, conferences, and high schools, and also four times annually at home in the Kent Concert Hall, the stunning new Manon Caine Russell-Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall, the beautiful Ellen Eccles Theatre downtown, and in the Sky Room of the Taggart Student Center. Both big bands perform the finest of jazz repertoire, from classic to cutting edge, including Ellington, Basie, Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson, Bob Brookmeyer, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Mintzer, Slide Hampton, Fred Sturm, and many others, including student originals. Jazz combos allow students to concentrate on further developing their improvisation skills; and again, the repertoire is from the best jazz artists (Monk, Parker, Ellington, Coltrane, Horace Silver, Dizzy Gillespie, et al) as well as from the students themselves.

 

2010 USU Jazz Ensemble

 

 

Guest clinicians are a regular part of the jazz studies curriculum here. Here is a partial list of guest artists from just the past few years (since 2003): Brian Lynch * Conrad Herwig * Bud Shank * Pete Christlieb * Norbert Stachel * Marvin Stamm * Graham Breedlove * Wycliffe Gordon * Chris Oberholtzer * Mike Stern * Corey Christiansen * Joe Diorio * Ron Eschete * Ed Soph * Danny Gottlieb * Bill Mays * Rufus Reid * Slide Hampton * Dana Landry * Erik Applegate * Jim White * Chris Vadala, Tom Walsh, Vic Juris, Beth and Danny Gottlieb, Byron Stripling. Guest artists for 2009-10 includes drummer John Riley (April 5, 6 & 7), pianist Bill Mays (March 23), guitarist Martin Taylor (March 27), saxophonist Jack Wilkins, and Joe McQueen, Mark Watkins, Aaron Miller, Melanie Shore, and Lars Yorgason.

 

We have an active student jazz organization at USU. Among their activities are the very popular 'Last Wednesday' monthly jazz jam sessions at 'Why Sound' in downtown Logan. Guest artists at the Last Wednesday sessions include saxophonists Brent Jensen, David Halliday, Sandon Mayhew, Tom Walsh, and Brian Booth, drummers Jay Lawrence, Doug James and Jim White, pianist Dana Landry, guitarist Corey Christiansen, and Jamie Findlay, bassists Lars Yorgason and Erik Applegate, and trumpeter Byron Stripling.

 

2010 USU Jazz Orchestra

 

 

The Director of Jazz Studies at Utah State University is saxophonist Jon Gudmundson. Other jazz faculty include: trumpeter Jason Gamer, guitarists Mike Christiansen and Corey Christiansen, trombonist Todd Fallis, percussionist Jason Nicholson, and bassist Eric Hansen. For more information about jazz at Utah State University contact Jon Gudmundson at (435) 797-3003 or contact Jon Gudmundson here.