Playing in a small jazz ensemble, whether it be a trio, quartet, quintet, or more, can be extremely beneficial to the development of your students and program. The challenge of teaching these smaller ensembles often lies in getting students to work together and understanding their roles within the group. This clinic focuses on how to encourage a collaborative process amongst members of a small jazz group through navigating individual personalities, developing repertoire, creating solid arrangements, harmonizing melodic lines, and finding a unique “band” sound.
Target Audience
Jazz Bands, Jazz Educators, Jazz Improvisation
Additional Notes
Clinician Info
Joe Mazzaferro
University of the Pacific
Joe Mazzaferro is the Associate Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor of Practice in Jazz at the University of the Pacific’s Conservatory of Music. As a Trumpeter, Educator, and Composer, Mazzaferro is active in the Northern California jazz scene and in demand as a guest artist and clinician across the United States. His 2017 debut release album In Terms Of…, which features saxophonist Jeff Clayton along with special guests, drummer Carl Allen and pianist Donald Brown, peaked at #43 on the JazzWeek Charts and received high praise from jazz critics. He has also gained critical acclaim and has composed and arranged music for his own groups, big band, and orchestra as well as various jazz artists. In 2019, he contributed arrangements to the Smoke Session Record’s release Bird at 100, commemorating the centennial birth of Charlie Parker and featuring alto saxophonists Vincent Herring, Bobby Watson, and Gary Bartz.