The Cornell University Jazz Ensembles provide those who are sincerely interested in the art of improvisation the opportunity to explore history, composition, arranging, and craft through performance and scholarship.
Welcome to the official university website for Cornell's two jazz big-bands and four small jazz combos. Please find linked above some information about ourselves, what guest artists we've performed with, and some sound clips of our performances. Current students can find information about auditions, semester events, and current course listings. Prospective students, we invite you to browse, and, of course, to review our admissions information section. Alumni, welcome back-- we kindly direct you to the contacts page in the navigation bar above.
Students in the Cornell Jazz Ensembles have ample opportunities to perform, study privately, play casually with other musicians, and attend guest artists' master classes. For those who seek to enhance their jazz knowledge and skill but not necessarily via ensemble performance, the music department offers a number of jazz-related courses; CU Jazz, the student jazz group, also has its own jam sessions, events, and clinics.
News
- August 27, 2008: Fall 2008 Auditions
- Welcome back. Auditions for the Fall 2008 semester will be held on the evening of April 27th, in Lincoln B21. Please see the "For Students" page for more details.
- April 19, 2007: 17th CU Jazz Festival Begins
- The Cornell University Jazz Ensembles invite you to join us in our seventeenth annual Cornell Jazz Festival. This year's festival features Grammy Award winner Wallace Roney as our guest artist. The lineup (schedule on right) includes a symposium on Miles Davis and Gil Evans, and combo performances at an intimate jazz club setting-- the Carriage House Hayloft. Finally, our two big bands will perform at Bailey, with CUJE I's interpretation of "Sketches of Spain."
Events
Spring 2008
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[2/14] 12:30PM Lincoln B20
Midday Music at Lincoln, Toby Koeningsberg, solo jazz piano.
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[2/14] 8PM Barnes Hall
"Jazz for Valentine's Day," with Paul Merrill, Toby Koeningsberg, Mike Dubaniewicz, Nicholas Walker, and Tom Killian.
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[2/24] 8PM Barnes Hall
CUJE I (Paul Merrill) and the Ithaca College Tuesday-Thursday Jazz Workshop (Steve Brown), Paul Smoker premier sponsored by The Commission Project.
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[2/29] 8PM Barnes Hall
"Leap Year Concert," Kevin Ernste and Friends
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[3/9] 3PM Bop Shop, Rochester NY
CUJE I (Paul Merrill) and the Ithaca College Tuesday-Thursday Jazz Workshop (Steve Brown), Paul Smoker premier sponsored by The Commission Project.
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[3/27] 12:30PM Lincoln B20
Midday Music at Lincoln, CUJE I with Matt Marsit, clarinet
Morton Gould's Derivations for Solo Clarinet and Dance Band.
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[4/19-4-27] Cornell University 17th Annual Jazz Festival
With Wallace Roney (residency) and special guest: The Central New York Jazz Orchestra.
- [4/20] 4:30PM B21 Lincoln Hall -- Symposium: "Miles Davis and Gil Evans Reconsidered." With Paul Berliner, Theo Cateforis, Steven Pond, Wallace Roney, and Paul Merrill. FREE.
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[4/24] 8PM Carriage House Cafe -- Jazz Voices, Trommer, Bissett, Appel Combos. FREE.
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[4/25] 8PM Bailey Hall -- Wallace Roney and the Central New York Birth of the Cool Ensemble. CUJE II with guests Mike Dubaniewicz and Bret Zvacek. $6 students, $12 general.
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[4/26] Ithaca College Alumni Big Band -- in honor of Prof. Steve Brown.
- [4/27] 8PM Bailey Hall -- CUJE I with Wallace Roney, playing Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain. IC Tuesday-Thursday Jazz Lab and CUJE I playing Paul Smoker's "Lionel 2025." Gussman Combo. $6 students, $12 general.
CU Jazz
Cornell University Jazz
CU Jazz is a Cornell student organization devoted enjoyment and awareness of jazz music and its rich cultural legacy. As an ensemble member, one is automatically part of CU Jazz-- and students not in ensembles are, of course, welcome too. From jam sessions to lectures from visiting artists, and more, CU Jazz brings together jazz lovers and promotes the art's accessibility in the Cornell and greater Ithaca area.
The CU Jazz website is scheduled to be updated in the Fall 2007 semester. The (severely) outdated site is available above.