Concerts and Events
Jazz Studies Courses and Ensembles

PLU Jazz News:

Welcome to the PLU Jazz web site. I hope this will be a useful source of information for PLU students, prospective students, and the many supporters of PLU jazz in the general public. In this "News" section, I have included some answers to frequently asked questions and recent items of interest. We can also be found on Facebook. Search for "Jazz Studies at Pacific Lutheran University" and become a fan. Contact me at the phone number and email above with questions or information.

Dr. David Deacon-Joyner, Director of Jazz Studies

Last News Update: 11/22/11

I am happy to return from a one-year sabbatical leave during the 2010-2011 academic year, taking the opportunity to do some composing, performing, recording, researching, consulting with jazz colleagues at other universities, and refining PLU jazz class materials. My heartfelt thanks go out to my friend, colleague, and sabbatical replacement Dr. Bob Miller. The students and faculty enjoyed his great work and his company during the past year.

The academic year has gotten off to a great start with two wonderful performances on campus. full of great music and performances. I would like to note a couple of future events. Seattle vocalist Gail Pettis will appear with the UJE for an encore performance at the annual live radio broadcast of the KPLU Christmas Jam on Thursday, December 8, 2011. We will have lots of new arrangements of holiday favorites. You can attend the concert in Lagerquist Hall for free, tune in on 88.5 FM or stream the show at www.kplu.org. See the concert details in the schedule below. It will be on YouTube within a week after the broadcast and you can catch a rebroadcast on Christmas Day. On our March 9, 2012 concert, we will be featuring the jazz compositions of Anton Schwartz. Anton is a wonderful saxophonist and composer that my trio members turned me onto last summer. He was my guest artist at Jazz Under the Stars. I really wanted to arrange some of his tunes for the PLU jazz band, so we will be featuring Anton and his music once again in March. On May 2, 2012, the UJE will feature the music of the legendary male vocal group, The Four Freshmen. We will feature "The Four Faculty," a vocal group comprised of PLU ensemble directors Richard Nance (Choir of the West), Brian Galante (University Chorale), Jeffrey Bell-Hanson (University Symphony Orchestra) and me. It is so heartwarming that our faculty at PLU has such a great spirit of adventure and cooperation that they are into doing this. Also, on February 21, 2012, I will be performing a duo jazz concert with my dear friend, trumpeter Syd Potter. Syd taught at Western Washington University and the University of Puget Sound, and studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, hanging out with Chick Corea, Tony Williams, and many other jazz legends. He will bring his musical intellect and encyclopedic knowledge of jazz literature to the Lagerquist stage. We will perform pieces that showcase great jazz compositions and great historical trumpet performances from the past. This is a jazz summit I've looked forward to for some time. On an educational note, our jazz guitar instructor, Steve Howland, is co-hosting a guitar festival on February 18, 2012, which will include a clinic by noted jazz guitarist Don Mock. More information is available at www.plu.edu/music/guitar festival.

The concert schedule for the 2011-2012 academic year is listed below. You can also follow PLU jazz activities on Facebook.

Jazz Studies at PLU include a jazz big band (the University Jazz Ensemble), jazz combos, jazz theory, jazz history, advanced jazz improvisation, and private studio instruction in jazz guitar, piano, bass, drums, solo vocal and arranging. The UJE holds auditions the weekend before classes begin in the fall. Advanced jazz improvisation requires an entrance exam. All other jazz offerings are open to all students at all levels of skill. The University Jazz Ensemble performs on campus and does regional tours and jazz festivals. Every four years, the UJE takes an international tour with the university wind ensemble. Past tours have included Scandinavia and China, with performances at venues such as The Aula at the University of Oslo, Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, music conservatories in Beijing, X'ian, and Shanghai, and the Great Wall of China. Click on the "Jazz Studies Courses and Ensembles" link above for more details.

Music scholarships are available at PLU. Scholarship auditions are held over the weekend in late February of each academic year. Instrumental medium categories include jazz rhythm for electric guitar, jazz piano, jazz bass, and drum set. No preference is given for music majors either for scholarships or ensemble auditions. Live or recorded auditions are welcome. Please contact the music department office for more information at (253) 535-7602.