Time:
Thursday
December, 18, 2025
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Location:
W196
Category
College/University Jazz Ensemble
Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
The St. Olaf Jazz 1 is the premier undergraduate large jazz ensemble at St. Olaf College. Comprised of 21 members, the award-winning band is led by Dr. Joseph L. Jefferson. The jazz program at St. Olaf features two undergraduate ensembles that perform both on and off-campus concerts each academic year. These versatile groups showcase a wide range of styles, including swing, bebop, fusion, funk, salsa, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and traditional jazz idioms.
St. Olaf Jazz I was voted the “Best College or University Big Band” by Downbeat Magazine in May 2011, and was awarded “Outstanding Performance by Large Undergraduate Jazz Ensemble” by the publication in 2019. In 2016, St. Olaf Jazz 1 toured Cuba, offering concerts in Havana and Matanzas including collaborations with renowned jazz trumpeter Rodolfo Jorge Horta Hernandez, the Banda Provincial de la Ciudad de Matanzas, and Joaquin Betancourt and his La Joven Jazz Band. After the tour, Jazz 1 released its first vinyl recording, "Cubano Be, Cubano Bop."
In recent years, the St. Olaf Jazz Ensembles have hosted and performed with a number jazz artists including: Sean Jones, Alison Crockett, Melissa Aldana, Fat Kid Wednesdays, Matt Wilson Quartet, David Berkman Quartet, Kenny Werner Trio, Armen Donelian Trio, David Sanchez, Dave Pietro, Luke Gillespie, Pat Harbison, Ray Vasquez, Dave Graf, Chris Bates Group, and Debbie Duncan, among others.
St. Olaf College Jazz I
Conductor's Bio
TBD
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