Low Eh!

I have been an instructor at Carleton University’s Jazz Camp since 2023. I started with a part-time schedule – working with the flute and clarinet campers, and ran a small ensemble. Since 2024, I have been on full-time faculty with the camp. I started working with all of the woodwind players (clarinet, flute, and saxophone), as well as running a small ensemble, and co-leading one of the big bands.

This year was a blast! We had so much fun, learned a ton, and watched the campers connect and work towards our musical goals.

For the last few years, I had been a co-leader with Mark Ferguson with one of the big bands. Mark is an incredible musician, composer, arranger, and educator. Mark would supply most of the rep, and I would bring in a composition or two for the band to work on. It was an amazing experience to watch him work with the campers, and I soaked up as much of that as I could.

This year, I was leading the big band, and was so fortunate to have Nick Adema, a great trombonist, who worked so well with the band. I brought in an arrangement of Sonny Rollins’, Blue Seven for the big band, as well as my composition, Duke’s Rhumba. We performed both at the camp’s final concert.

In my small ensemble, I had a full rhythm section – piano, guitar, bass, and drums, as well as two alto saxophones, a tenor saxophone/flute, a trombone, and violin. I arranged Solar with a moody bossa feel, and had some floating harmonies. We also performed an arrangement of Minor Swing by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli that started in a more traditional swing feel which then transformed into a high energy ska groove. I always like to work in a surprise with these arrangements to show my groups what is possible in an arrangement.

I was able to have a masterclass with the tenor saxophones on Monday, the flutes and clarinets on Wednesday, and the alto and baritone saxophones on Thursday. In each of these group classes we talked about tone, technique, how to learn tunes, and listening to the greats, both past and present.

This camp is so much fun, but it’s also a creative shot-in-the-arm for me. Watching these (mostly) younger players develop their craft, grow in confidence, and work towards common musical goals in a group is truly inspiring.