Jacksonville, AL – As originally reported by Brett Buckner with JSU’s media department, Jacksonville State University will host its 15th Annual Jazz Festival on April 10 in Mason Hall, continuing a long-standing tradition centered on music education and student engagement.
While some university-sponsored music festivals focus primarily on performances, Jacksonville State’s annual event emphasizes instruction and mentorship for participating students.
“From the beginning,” said Dr. Andrew Nevala, director of Jazz Studies, “the Jazz Festival was always focused on education.”
This year’s festival will feature renowned trumpeter and vocalist Joe Gransden performing with the Alabama Jazz Collective. Jacksonville State’s jazz faculty and student ensembles will also perform throughout the day as part of the event.
High school jazz bands from across Alabama and Georgia are expected to attend, performing for a panel of jazz educators who will provide detailed feedback. In addition to adjudicated performances, participating students will take part in 30-minute, one-on-one clinics with guest artists and clinicians.
“These students get to hear JSU Jazz Ensemble I perform with famous jazz musicians, such as Carmen Bradford, Pat Bianchi, Mace Hibbard, and Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts. Grammy Award Winning Saxophonist Mace Hibbard and Trombonist Wes Funderburk will serve as the festival clinicians at this year’s event,” Dr. Nevala said. “It’s a huge recruitment tool. I have many students in my program now who attended this event as high school students. We are recruiting great kids to come here for jazz, and it has helped our program achieve national recognition.”
The festival is supported in part by a $4,000 grant from the Alabama State Council of the Arts, which helps offset costs associated with bringing in guest artists and clinicians.
“These grants are hard to get, and fortunately, we have received three grants from the Alabama State Council of the Arts for the Jazz Festival in my time here,” said Dr. Nevala, who served as co-principal grant investigator alongside Emily Duncan, executive director of the Randy Owen Center for Performing Arts. “Money has been tight around here for a minute, and any help we can get is tremendously appreciated and needed.”
Organizers noted that the festival will feature 10 different Jacksonville State jazz groups, each requiring equipment and musical resources to perform. Rising costs associated with travel and recruitment have made outside funding increasingly important for sustaining and expanding the program.
“Even getting out to recruit at schools is expensive these days,” Dr. Nevala said. “Bus prices have more than doubled. We are trying to stretch every penny, and being awarded this grant allows us to bring great artists to perform with JSU students, recruit, and help bring the jazz program and JSU national recognition.”
The university’s jazz program has earned national recognition in recent years, including two Downbeat Student Music Awards. Jazz Combo I also performed at the Jazz Educators Network International Conference in New Orleans earlier this year.
“Those are major achievements in jazz education,” Dr. Nevala said. “Many programs never receive that level of recognition.”
Jacksonville State’s jazz faculty includes musicians with national and international experience, including Ben Weatherford, a Berklee College of Music graduate; Andy Eulau, formerly of the University of North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band; and Emrah Kotan, who performed on India.Arie’s most recent world tour.
University officials say the festival, combined with these accomplishments, has continued to strengthen the program’s reputation within the jazz education community.
“The Jazz Festival has continued to set the standard for an educationally focused festival in our region, and we have been at max capacity these last few years,” Dr. Nevala said. “We are eagerly awaiting the opening of the ROC, so we can expand and include even more groups.”
The festival remains one of the few regional jazz events in Alabama centered primarily on education, offering performances, clinics, and adjudication opportunities for participating student ensembles.
