Born in New Orleans, Terence Blanchard began playing piano at the age of 5 and picked up the trumpet in elementary school. His father, a professional opera singer, told him, “If you’re going to do this music thing, you’re going to do it right and take some lessons.” He studied with Ellis Marsalis and Roger […]

One day this past year, our jazz history class was studying Horace Silver, one of the great jazz pianists and composers. Our guest lecturer laid out about what you’d expect from a good, informative lecture, and then he began recalling things he learned when he played with Horace… With the faculty appointment of saxophonist Jimmy […]

Kurt Elling is a singer who commands your attention from the first note to the last. As well as fresh and compelling performances of the standard vocal repertoire, Elling is known for his imaginative reworking of instrumental standards. His original lyrics and virtuosic vocalizing have brought a whole new life to music that has never […]