Faculty
The faculty of the UCSD Jazz Camp is comprised of more than a dozen nationally- and internationally-known musicians and jazz educators. Many are considered among the living masters on their instruments and in a wide variety of styles of jazz. The camp faculty includes Guggenheim and NEA Fellowship awardees, DownBeat and JazzTimes poll-winners, veteran performers and rising stars. The UCSD Jazz Camp's unique curriculum gives students direct access to some of the world's leading jazz artists, encouraging them to explore a full spectrum of approaches to jazz improvisation.
- Dan Atkinson — Camp Founder & Director
- Department of Arts, Humanities and Languages, UCSD Extension, and Jazz Program Coordinator for La Jolla's Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, has worked with a diverse range of jazz musicians and is a Grammy-nominated producer.
Learn More > - David Borgo — Saxophones
- Associate Professor of Music, UCSD, composer and ethnomusicologist, has performed with Kenny Burrell, Billy Higgins, David Liebman, Herbie Hancock, Gerald Wilson, and Louis Bellson.
Learn More > - Gilbert Castellanos — Trumpet
- Member of the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, former Columbia recording artist with Black/Note, has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Haden, Poncho Sanchez, and Anthony Wilson.
Learn More > - Anthony Davis — Piano
- The music of pianist, improvisor and composer Anthony Davis eludes easy categorization. Active in a variety of media, including operatic, symphonic, choral, chamber, dance, theater, and improvised musics, Davis has focused upon the integration of improvised and notated expressive resources.
Learn More > - Graham Dechter — Guitar
- A member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO) since the age of 19, he has performed with a long list of respected jazz artists such Wynton Marsalis, James Mood, and Snooky Young. He comes to us not only as an accomplished guitarist, but as a returning UC San Diego Jazz Camp alumnus.
Learn More > - Mark Dresser — Contrabass
- Professor of Music, UCSD, has performed and recorded with many of the luminaries of 'new' jazz composition and improvisation, and is well-known for his musical performances on the film classics "Un Chien Andalou" and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari."
Learn More > - Lisle Ellis — Bass
- Jazz and improvising performer for more than 25 years, including collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Paul Bley, Myra Melford, Andrew Cyrille, and Marilyn Crispell.
Learn More > - Mark Ferber — Drums
- A native Californian, Mark has distinguished himself on both coasts and abroad in live performances and recordings with distinguished artists such as Lee Konitz, Norah Jones, Steve Swallow, and Wadada Leo Smith, among others.
Learn More > - Rick Helzer — Piano/Theory
- Associate Professor of Music and Associate Director of the Jazz Institute, San Diego State University, composer, arranger and jazz educator.
Learn More > - Gerry Hemingway — Drums
- Drummer/percussionist/composer, Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, associated with such artists as Cecil Taylor, Reggie Workman, Anthony Braxton, and George Lewis.
Learn More > - Holly Hofmann — Flute
- Leading jazz flutist, collaborator with such artists as Ray Brown, Frank Wess, Slide Hampton, Kenny Barron, Ali Ryerson, and Cedar Walton.
Learn More > - Geoffrey Keezer — Pianist
- Former member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, has worked with virtually all of the living legends of jazz including Diana Krall, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman and Christian McBride.
Learn More > - Larry Koonse — Guitar
- Born into a musical family, Larry has been playing the guitar since he was seven years old. In 1984, Larry was the first recipient of a BM in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California.
Learn More > - Charles McPherson — Alto Saxophone
- Leading bebop instrumentalist, longtime Charles Mingus band member, collaborator with such artists as Barry Harris, Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell.
Learn More > - Jason Robinson — Saxophones
- PhD in Music, UCSD, has performed and recorded with artists including Peter Kowald, George Lewis, Gerry Hemingway, and J.D Parran.
Learn More > - Rob Thorsen — Bass
- Active as leader and sideman, has performed with James Moody, Charles McPherson, Ernie Watts, Louis Bellson, Hubert Laws, and Bucky Pizzarelli.
Learn More > - Mike Wofford — Piano
- Lighthouse All-Stars alumnus, past music director for Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, collaborator with Bud Shank, Lee Konitz, Shelly Manne, Chet Baker, Benny Carter.
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