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Jazz On Campus
School Notes
Donald Harrison
Humber College Director of Music Denny Christianson
instructs students in the school's recording studio
Humber College Gets Down to Business
Soren Nissen always wanted to become a
professional jazz bassist but never considered
how he’d ultimately achieve his goal—
until he got to college. Nissen devoted his
energy to learning new tunes, improving improvisation
technique and developing a compositional
voice. At Humber College in Toronto, he
learned about a side of jazz he’d been neglecting—the
music business.
“It’s the last thing musicians want to think
about because the music always comes first,”
said Nissen, who will graduate next year with
a bachelor’s degree in contemporary music.
Nissen said he finally realized the realities
of being a working artist during a third-year
course at Humber. “Before I took that class, I
was just focusing on the musical side of things.”
The contemporary music degree at Humber
College is based in practicality. Initially, undergraduates
study material commonly found in
most jazz studies programs, but the curriculum
delves into production and marketing during
their third and fourth years at school. The
highlight of the final year of study is an intensive
recording project. Students emerge ready
for graduation with 15 minutes of professionally
recorded original music, which is laid down
and mastered during a series of four-hour sessions
in the school’s studio.
Jazz at Humber began with a three-year
diploma in the 1970s, but the diploma wasn’t
recognized by other universities. Professors
realized that musicians simply studied at the
school for a bit and then went off to other pursuits.
In order to graduate more musicians, the
Humber faculty gathered in the early 2000s
to create the articulated contemporary music
bachelor’s degree. They asked themselves what
tools students needed to compete in today’s
music landscape.
“What it comes down to is the top working
professionals saying it’s not enough just to be able
to play or even write,” said Denny Christianson,
Humber’s director of music. “You’ve got to
understand what the music business is about and
what challenges you’re facing.”
The approach seems to be gaining popularity.
According to Christianson, there are 360
students in the program, and around 1,200
musicians apply each year for 100 openings.
The vast majority of the musicians—about 60
percent—hail from Canada. Ten percent arrive
in Toronto from other countries.
Students are encouraged to explore not
only jazz, but all types of music. Required
ensembles can even be tailored to students’
interests. During his time at the school, Nissen
has seen a bluegrass ensemble, a Greek music
group and a Gypsy band all operate under faculty
approval.
“It’s pretty cool how flexible the program
is,” Nissen said. “It’s set up for the students to
get what they want out of the program, and it’s
very real-world applicable.”
Saxophonist Eli Bennett, who chose a strict
jazz path for his studies, graduated from
Humber last May and will use the base of his
recording project for his debut release. He
returned to his hometown of Vancouver to
write additional material but will head back to
Toronto in the spring, when he intends to get
his band back in the studio.
Bennett, who is already a much-heralded
artist, said he knows the skills he developed
at Humber will help him navigate what has
become an increasingly tough road for nearly
every independent jazz musician.
“Gone are the days where you have a managing
team that books your tours and helps you
get your recording together. Even a lot of the
big-name people do a lot of their own details,”
he said. “It’s great of Humber to see what’s
happening in the real world and adapt to that
and change their curriculum.” —Jon Ross
Don Vickery Photography
Piano Partners: Hailun USA has launched
its Piano Partnerships initiative, presenting
saxophonist Donald Harrison with two upright
pianos on Nov. 15 for his two free jazz
education programs. Harrison presented a
concert at the Tipitina’s Foundation the following
day to celebrate the installment of the
pianos. Details: hailun-pianos.com
Camp Orleans: The dates for the New
Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp for adults
have been scheduled for June 10–15, 2012.
Situated in the heart of historic Big Easy, the
six-day instructional camp offers students a
broad education in regional jazz, culminating
in a series of such Orleans-style performances
as a traditional second line and an
evening at the famous Preservation Hall.
Details: neworleanstradjazzcamp.com
China Rhythms: KoSa percussion workshop
co-founders Aldo Mazza and Jolán
Kovács-Mazza established an annual KoSa
China workshop in August. The workshop,
a collaboration between KoSa and China’s 9
Beats 65-school music education program,
offered instruction from over 100 teachers
to more than 300 mainland students. During
his third Chinese tour, Mazza also participated
in the National Drum Competition and
performed with numerous Chinese master
musicians. Details: kosamusic.com
Jazz Lives: On Oct. 24, saxophonist and
educator Bruce Williams will headline the
University of the District of Columbia’s Jazz
Studies showcase. The concert, which
is part of JAZZAlive’s scholarship benefit
series, highlights UDC’s jazz ensembles and
features such guests as director Allyn Johnson,
Steve Novosel and Howard “Kingfish”
Franklin. Details: udc.edu
Crtitical Mass: Oberlin Conservatory will
kick off the Stephen and Cynthia Rubin
Institute for Music Criticism with a series of
inaugural sessions from Jan. 18–22, 2012.
The weeklong series of public events
will include performances and discussion
panels as well as four public concerts.
Details: oberlin.edu
110 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2011