Three UNF professors and Benedetto guitarists will be honored by the second performance of the 37th Annual Great American Jazz Series.
An ensemble consisting of UNF’s Jazz Ensemble One and musicians from the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, a magnet high school in the San Marco neighborhood, will perform at the concert.
The concert is a tribute to Barry Greene, Jack Peterson and Corey Christiansen, each of whom are Benedetto guitarists who teach or have taught at UNF. According to professor James Scott, the Great American Jazz Series is one of the reasons jazz students come to UNF.
Greene and Peterson founded the jazz guitar programs at UNF, the Berklee College of Music and the University of Texas. Christiansen, an international guitar artist, teaches at Utah State University. All three artists have extensive playing and teaching careers and have released multiple critically acclaimed recordings.
Planning for The Great American Jazz Series’ residency and concerts starts several years before the events. It involves a four-day jazz residency of jazz-related clinics, masterclasses, performances and artist logistics. The upcoming performance will be the second of three tributes, with the next being held at the Jazz Educators National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on Jan. 8, 2025.
For larger-scale performances, UNF’s Jazz Ensemble One typically has two to four weeks to prepare around seven to 14 pieces for a concert, often with a guest artist. Tighter schedules lead to rehearsing twice a week, sometimes on Monday night.
As the first graduate from UNF’s jazz program in 1989 and a professor for 27 years, Scott said he always feels “honored to be a part of this amazing School of Music.”
“This [concert] is an invaluable experience and helps their musical development . . . many of our students, through contact and performing with these incredible artists, are called later to perform professionally with the same artists,” he said.
Scott hopes that the music will inspire the audience and that hearing something new will invigorate them to research, listen to and attend more jazz performances.
“I do hope the audience will become future supporters of both these programs and for this incredible American art form, Jazz,” said Scott.
The event will be held on Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Lazzara Performance Hall. The ensemble will play a selection of 10 jazz standards, per the program.
____
For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com
