Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
The University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble 1 is the flagship ensemble of the prestigious University of North Florida Jazz Studies Program. Thanks to the visionary leadership of Rich Matteson in 1986, UNF’s JE 1 has enjoyed the reputation of being one of the finest collegiate jazz ensembles worldwide. Jazz Ensemble 1 has won numerous group and individual awards and has been invited to perform at prestigious jazz festivals in both the U.S. and in Europe. Jazz Ensemble 1 is the 2015 Downbeat award winning undergraduate jazz ensemble. The ensemble also has been invited to perform at International Association of Jazz Educators Conferences in Atlanta, Boston, Miami and New Orleans, the prestigious Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, the Suncoast Jazz Festival in Tampa, the Savannah Jazz Festival, the Mobile Jazz Festival and annually at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival. A special component of the UNF Jazz Studies Program is the Great American Jazz Series, which regularly brings in stellar jazz artists as residents. This series, along with other opportunities, has enabled Jazz Ensemble 1 to perform in concert with more than 100 esteemed artists. Contact J.B. Scott at (904) 620-2961 for more info.
University of North Florida Jazz Ensemble 1
Conductor's Bio
J.B. Scott earned his B.A. degree in music as the first graduate of the acclaimed jazz program at the University of North Florida, under the tutelage of the legendary Rich Matteson and faculty members Bunky Green, Dr. Bill Prince, Bruce Silva and Jack Peterson. While in college, Scott performed with several established groups that included the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, was a band member on the 1988 Japan Tour with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and performed regularly in the Walt Disney World theme parks. After graduating, he did a three-year stint in New Orleans as the trumpeter and musical director of the world famous Dukes of Dixieland and was featured in the PBS special, “Salute to Jelly Roll Morton.” In 1996, Scott earned his M.S. degree in music education at Florida International University, where he studied with the legendary trumpeter, Arturo Sandoval. In addition to his collegiate big band performances, Scott performed professionally with the Mickey Finn Show and numerous Latin bands led by such legendary names as Eddie Palmieri, Paquito D’Rivera and Arturo Sandoval. After teaching for a year in Orlando, Scott returned to the University of North Florida in 1996 to carry on the Rich Matteson ‘old school swing’ legacy, teaching trumpet, music history courses and to direct the UNF Jazz Ensemble 1, one of the most respected, award winning collegiate big bands in the country. He is currently an associate professor of Jazz Studies at UNF and is a member of International Association of Jazz Educators (serving for six years as the IAJE Florida Secretary) of MENC, and of the Florida Band Masters Association. As a soloist, Scott has performed on many festivals including the Macieo Jazz Festival, (Brazil), the Elkhart Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and many others. He has appeared with such notables as Nick Brignola, Ira Sullivan, Rufus Reed and Ed Calle, to name just a few. Partnering with respected vocalist Lisa Kelly in 1997, Scott and Kelly have performed internationally for major festivals, jazz clubs and jazz societies, as featured soloists with big bands, and with their own big band and small groups. They are highly regarded adjudicators and guest artist clinicians for secondary to collegiate music programs, competitions and music camps. Scott has been featured on many TV and radio commercials, on CD recordings and has co-released five successful CDs, including “Home” and “Keeping Out of Mischief” with the Swamp Dog Jazz Band, “Memories of Tomorrow” and “Live at Simons” with the Kelly-Scott Jazz Quintet, and “Just Swingin!” with J.B. Scott’s Swingin’ Allstars. Scott is Signature WARBURTON artist/clinician. Scott has performed and presented clinics for IAJE, FMEA/FMENC, Chicago Midwest, the 2010 inaugural JEN (Jazz Educators Network) in St. Louis, and was the 2009 Florida All-State Jazz Band Director for the annual FMEA/MENC Conference in Tampa. Scott is featured in the book “The New Face of Jazz,” on Amazon.com, released July 2010. In 2017, J.B. Scott was featured at the Pescara Jazz Festival in Pescara Italy, and was inducted into the Jacksonville Jazz Festival Hall Of Fame.
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