18th Annual New Jersey State Jazz Conference
The Eighteenth Annual Jazz Education Conference is provided FREE to all NJAJE members. Non-members may attend for a fee of just $75, which includes a one-year membership to NJAJE and a subscription to Downbeat Magazine. We are also pleased to offer a special discounted rate of $60 for retirees and $25 for students! Please join us for the Seventeenth Annual Jazz Education Conference by clicking here to register for 2022-2023 NJAJE membership.
This year’s event will be held on Friday, November 18, 2022 and we are THRILLED to be returning to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey for an IN-PERSON conference.
CLINIC DESCRIPTIONS
“Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Creating a Cohesive Rhythm Section with Students of Varied Experience”
–Dr. David Demsey & Dr. Jeffrey Kunkel, clinicians
The rhythm section is the true heartbeat of any jazz band, at the core of its sound and its all-important time feel, and is one of the
biggest factors in the band’s overall sound. However, many rhythm section members may come to their school’s jazz ensemble with
little if any experience playing or listening to jazz. Guitarists and electric bassists may be rock players, pianists and upright bassists
may have only classical experience, and drummers may have little knowledge of the styles commonly employed in the school jazz
ensemble, or the knowledge and ability necessary to support the saxophones and brass while relating to the other members of the
rhythm section. This session focuses on each of the instruments in the rhythm section – piano, guitar, bass, and drums – as well as
the section as a unit. Drs. Demsey and Kunkel will be joined by guitarist Matt Jardim, bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Tim Horton,
who will each focus on how to get the best jazz concept from students who have little jazz experience. The section will also
demonstrate together featuring well-known big band arrangements, and there will be ample time for questions and dialogue.
Dr. David Demsey is Coordinator of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University, co-leading the program with pianist Bill Charlap, and
is curator of their Living Jazz Archives. He is a member of the Water Gap Jazz Orchestra (The Phil Woods Big Band), has performed
with the Metropolitan Opera led by James Levine and John Adams since 1997, with the New York Philharmonic since 1995, and on
two CD’s each with American Saxophone Quartet and New Hudson Quartet. His graduate degrees are from the Juilliard School and
Eastman School of Music. Demsey’s “Improvisation and Concepts of Virtuosity” is the final essay in the Oxford Jazz Companion, his
transcription book Coltrane Plays “Giant Steps” (Hal Leonard) is widely known, he wrote two books on composer Alec Wilder, and he
worked with Kendor Music on six new archival editions of Thad Jones arrangements. He has been a Contributing Editor
for Saxophone Today, and wrote articles for Down Beat, Instrumentalist, and Jazz Educators Journal. He is a Selmer Saxophone
Clinician and has appeared at over 90 universities, public schools, festivals and music institutes. He has served since 1994 as Higher
Education Liaison on the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education Board of Directors. In 2001, he received the New Jersey Jazz
Educator of the Year award, and he has conducted the New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble twice, in 1996 and 2013.
Following twenty-two years as a faculty member of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, where he served as
the Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Director of the MSU Jazz Ensemble, composer and pianist Dr. Jeffrey Kunkel retired from full-
time teaching in August 2020, but returned as an adjunct faculty member in Fall 2021. Guest artists performing with the MSUJE have
included the Grammy Award winning New York Voices, Brazilian composer and Latin Grammy winner Mario Adnet, UK based
composer / trumpeter Neil Yates, and Canadian composer Andrew Jones, among many others. Jeff previously served as the
Associate Director for Faculty of the Cali School, and as Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Education. In 2008, Jeff was presented
with the prestigious New Jersey Jazz Education Achievement Award, given annually to an educator who has excelled in the field of
jazz education. Jeff’s personal musical endeavors have long focused on the music of Brazil, and include two releases of his own
music recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Meu Coração Brasileiro and Many Happy Returns. A longtime board member and four term
President of the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education (www.njaje.org), Jeff frequently appears as a clinician and adjudicator.
Jeff is an alumnus of Penn State University and New England Conservatory.
“Enlivening Vocal Jazz Literature” – Dylan Pramuk, clinician
Vocalist and arranger Dylan Pramuk presents a workshop to bring fresh literature, original arrangement touches, and the feel of the
authentic living jazz tradition to the vocal ensemble. Topics covered will include effective rehearsal and performance techniques, the
preparation of digital practice materials, connecting repertoire to inspiring source material, entry points to improv, and guidelines
for effective and efficient arranging. A comprehensive list of resources will be provided. This session will also include open
discussion, Q&A, and audience participation.
Hailed by the New York Times for his “killer scat singing,” Dylan Pramuk is an adept NYC-based vocalist, improviser, bandleader, and
educator. He has toured nationwide and across Europe as a founding member, a principal arranger, and the baritone voice of the
Royal Bopsters, the award-winning jazz vocal quartet featuring singers Amy London, Pete McGuinness, and Jeanne O’Connor, which
was selected #1 Vocal Group in JazzTimes’ 2020 Expanded Critics’ Poll. The group’s recordings, The Royal Bopsters Project (2015)
and Party of Four (2020), both featuring the late Holli Ross on alto, were released on Motéma Music to international acclaim. The
Royal Bopsters Project, with Darmon Meader in the tenor chair, features jazz legends Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Bob Dorough, Sheila
Jordan, and Mark Murphy, and garnered 4 1/2 stars in DownBeat magazine. Party of Four, awarded 4 stars in both Jazzwise and
DownBeat, again features Jordon and Dorough, as well as the renowned bassist Christian McBride. Dylan has performed in such
other projects as the award-winning a cappella quintet West Side 5; Lee Tomboulian’s Ana Choired Taste; Miho Hazama’s A Little
Jazz Mass; and Billy Harper's Voices; Dylan holds a Master of Music degree from the City College of New York. He is a jazz voice
faculty member at Montclair State University and Jazz House Kids and has taught at such institutions as New York University, The
New School, and CCNY.
Reading Sessions: What’s New for Instrumental and Vocal Jazz Ensembles – Joseph Verderese & Randy White, clinicians
These sessions are the industry’s most comprehensive new music reading sessions, and features some of this year's best charts for
instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles at all levels - from beginning middle school to advanced high school and college. Conference
attendees are invited and encouraged to participate in the reading ensembles. Music provided by Hal Leonard, Belwin, Sierra,
Kendor, Doug Beach, Barnhouse, Kjos, Jalen Jazz, Jazz Lines and Walrus Publications. Joseph Verderese is Secretary of NJAJE, and has
been Director of Bands at Cresskill Junior/Senior High School since 2005. He is also co-leader of the One More Once Big Band, which
he directs with Timothy Hayward. Randy White is Vocal Jazz Chair of NJAJE, and is Director of Choirs at Hopewell Valley Central High
School. He directed the 2016 NJ Honors Jazz Choir and is the founder and director of the American Atlantic Chorale, an all-star high
school jazz choir.
Professional Development Credit
This conference has been developed according to the New Jersey Standards for Required Professional Development of Teachers.
The following PD standards will be addressed: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. The subject matter presented in this year’s conference will
assist music educators in helping their students reach grade-appropriate performance expectations found in NJ Student Learning
Standards 1.3B, 1.3C, 1.3D and 1.3E.
Five hours of professional development credit will be awarded to attendees. NJAJE is a registered professional development
provider (Provider No. 5098.)
For more information, contact:
Jeffrey Haas, NJAJE Vice President and Conference Chair
jhaas.njaje@gmail.com
201.207.6736
This year’s event will be held on Friday, November 18, 2022 and we are THRILLED to be returning to the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey for an IN-PERSON conference.
CLINIC DESCRIPTIONS
“Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Creating a Cohesive Rhythm Section with Students of Varied Experience”
–Dr. David Demsey & Dr. Jeffrey Kunkel, clinicians
The rhythm section is the true heartbeat of any jazz band, at the core of its sound and its all-important time feel, and is one of the
biggest factors in the band’s overall sound. However, many rhythm section members may come to their school’s jazz ensemble with
little if any experience playing or listening to jazz. Guitarists and electric bassists may be rock players, pianists and upright bassists
may have only classical experience, and drummers may have little knowledge of the styles commonly employed in the school jazz
ensemble, or the knowledge and ability necessary to support the saxophones and brass while relating to the other members of the
rhythm section. This session focuses on each of the instruments in the rhythm section – piano, guitar, bass, and drums – as well as
the section as a unit. Drs. Demsey and Kunkel will be joined by guitarist Matt Jardim, bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Tim Horton,
who will each focus on how to get the best jazz concept from students who have little jazz experience. The section will also
demonstrate together featuring well-known big band arrangements, and there will be ample time for questions and dialogue.
Dr. David Demsey is Coordinator of Jazz Studies at William Paterson University, co-leading the program with pianist Bill Charlap, and
is curator of their Living Jazz Archives. He is a member of the Water Gap Jazz Orchestra (The Phil Woods Big Band), has performed
with the Metropolitan Opera led by James Levine and John Adams since 1997, with the New York Philharmonic since 1995, and on
two CD’s each with American Saxophone Quartet and New Hudson Quartet. His graduate degrees are from the Juilliard School and
Eastman School of Music. Demsey’s “Improvisation and Concepts of Virtuosity” is the final essay in the Oxford Jazz Companion, his
transcription book Coltrane Plays “Giant Steps” (Hal Leonard) is widely known, he wrote two books on composer Alec Wilder, and he
worked with Kendor Music on six new archival editions of Thad Jones arrangements. He has been a Contributing Editor
for Saxophone Today, and wrote articles for Down Beat, Instrumentalist, and Jazz Educators Journal. He is a Selmer Saxophone
Clinician and has appeared at over 90 universities, public schools, festivals and music institutes. He has served since 1994 as Higher
Education Liaison on the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education Board of Directors. In 2001, he received the New Jersey Jazz
Educator of the Year award, and he has conducted the New Jersey All-State Jazz Ensemble twice, in 1996 and 2013.
Following twenty-two years as a faculty member of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, where he served as
the Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Director of the MSU Jazz Ensemble, composer and pianist Dr. Jeffrey Kunkel retired from full-
time teaching in August 2020, but returned as an adjunct faculty member in Fall 2021. Guest artists performing with the MSUJE have
included the Grammy Award winning New York Voices, Brazilian composer and Latin Grammy winner Mario Adnet, UK based
composer / trumpeter Neil Yates, and Canadian composer Andrew Jones, among many others. Jeff previously served as the
Associate Director for Faculty of the Cali School, and as Coordinator of Undergraduate Music Education. In 2008, Jeff was presented
with the prestigious New Jersey Jazz Education Achievement Award, given annually to an educator who has excelled in the field of
jazz education. Jeff’s personal musical endeavors have long focused on the music of Brazil, and include two releases of his own
music recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Meu Coração Brasileiro and Many Happy Returns. A longtime board member and four term
President of the New Jersey Association for Jazz Education (www.njaje.org), Jeff frequently appears as a clinician and adjudicator.
Jeff is an alumnus of Penn State University and New England Conservatory.
“Enlivening Vocal Jazz Literature” – Dylan Pramuk, clinician
Vocalist and arranger Dylan Pramuk presents a workshop to bring fresh literature, original arrangement touches, and the feel of the
authentic living jazz tradition to the vocal ensemble. Topics covered will include effective rehearsal and performance techniques, the
preparation of digital practice materials, connecting repertoire to inspiring source material, entry points to improv, and guidelines
for effective and efficient arranging. A comprehensive list of resources will be provided. This session will also include open
discussion, Q&A, and audience participation.
Hailed by the New York Times for his “killer scat singing,” Dylan Pramuk is an adept NYC-based vocalist, improviser, bandleader, and
educator. He has toured nationwide and across Europe as a founding member, a principal arranger, and the baritone voice of the
Royal Bopsters, the award-winning jazz vocal quartet featuring singers Amy London, Pete McGuinness, and Jeanne O’Connor, which
was selected #1 Vocal Group in JazzTimes’ 2020 Expanded Critics’ Poll. The group’s recordings, The Royal Bopsters Project (2015)
and Party of Four (2020), both featuring the late Holli Ross on alto, were released on Motéma Music to international acclaim. The
Royal Bopsters Project, with Darmon Meader in the tenor chair, features jazz legends Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, Bob Dorough, Sheila
Jordan, and Mark Murphy, and garnered 4 1/2 stars in DownBeat magazine. Party of Four, awarded 4 stars in both Jazzwise and
DownBeat, again features Jordon and Dorough, as well as the renowned bassist Christian McBride. Dylan has performed in such
other projects as the award-winning a cappella quintet West Side 5; Lee Tomboulian’s Ana Choired Taste; Miho Hazama’s A Little
Jazz Mass; and Billy Harper's Voices; Dylan holds a Master of Music degree from the City College of New York. He is a jazz voice
faculty member at Montclair State University and Jazz House Kids and has taught at such institutions as New York University, The
New School, and CCNY.
Reading Sessions: What’s New for Instrumental and Vocal Jazz Ensembles – Joseph Verderese & Randy White, clinicians
These sessions are the industry’s most comprehensive new music reading sessions, and features some of this year's best charts for
instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles at all levels - from beginning middle school to advanced high school and college. Conference
attendees are invited and encouraged to participate in the reading ensembles. Music provided by Hal Leonard, Belwin, Sierra,
Kendor, Doug Beach, Barnhouse, Kjos, Jalen Jazz, Jazz Lines and Walrus Publications. Joseph Verderese is Secretary of NJAJE, and has
been Director of Bands at Cresskill Junior/Senior High School since 2005. He is also co-leader of the One More Once Big Band, which
he directs with Timothy Hayward. Randy White is Vocal Jazz Chair of NJAJE, and is Director of Choirs at Hopewell Valley Central High
School. He directed the 2016 NJ Honors Jazz Choir and is the founder and director of the American Atlantic Chorale, an all-star high
school jazz choir.
Professional Development Credit
This conference has been developed according to the New Jersey Standards for Required Professional Development of Teachers.
The following PD standards will be addressed: 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. The subject matter presented in this year’s conference will
assist music educators in helping their students reach grade-appropriate performance expectations found in NJ Student Learning
Standards 1.3B, 1.3C, 1.3D and 1.3E.
Five hours of professional development credit will be awarded to attendees. NJAJE is a registered professional development
provider (Provider No. 5098.)
For more information, contact:
Jeffrey Haas, NJAJE Vice President and Conference Chair
jhaas.njaje@gmail.com
201.207.6736
| conference_flyer_2022.pdf |
