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
- January 21, 2009: Spring 2009 Auditions
- Auditions for the Spring 2009 semester will be held on the evening of January 21st, 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 2009
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[4/16: 8PM, The Carriage House Cafe (Stewart Ave)] Cornell University Jazz Combos at the Carriage House. Free admission, no tickets required.
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[4/17, 12PM, B20 Lincoln Hall] Clinics with Chuck Israels, Todd Coolman, Jeff Campbell, Nicholas Walker, and Miles Brown.
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[4/17, 3:30PM, B20 Lincoln Hall] Open dress rehearsal with Jazz Ensemble II and guest bassists.
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[4/17, 8PM, Bailey Hall] Cornell University Jazz Ensemble II, with guest bassist Chuck Israels, Todd Coolman, Jeff Campbell, and Nicholas Walker. $10 general, $5 students.
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[4/18, 8PM, Bailey Hall] Cornell University Jazz Ensemble I, led by guest composer/director Chuck Israels, with guest pianist Bill Dobbins: "A Tribute to Bill Evans." $10 general, $5 students.
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 severely outdated, but available above. Look for CU Jazz News on campus and on the listserv!