Jazz camp tunes up for 25th year in Naperville
The Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp and Hot Jazz — 6 Cool Nites concert series will celebrate their 25th anniversaries when they return to North Central College this summer.
The Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp, founded in 1989, provides a rare educational experience for aspiring jazz vocalists in an intensified, one-week course of study and skills development conducted by an artist faculty of professional performing and recording artists.
Cited by Jazziz Magazine as “among the most innovative and dynamic summer jazz educational programs in the country,” the camp has been featured on the PBS national news program “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,” HDNET-TV, WGN-TV and WTTW Channel 11 Chicago.
The camp’s international reputation draws students from all parts of the United States, as well as from Canada, Europe and Asia. Participants typically range in age and background from high school and college students to adult professional vocalists and jazz educators.
The curriculum is designed specifically for the solo jazz vocalist. Daily activities include workshops in jazz improvisation, performance styles and techniques and solo performance preparation, as well as artist master classes, vocal jazz history and music theory.
There are also nightly faculty artist concerts, informal student jam sessions, and a final concert featuring each participant performing with the Staff Rhythm Section.
This year’s camp, July 22-27, is open to all participants ages 14 through adult. Tuition is $650; housing and meals are available for an additional $300. The deadline for enrollment is June 1. Further information is available on the camp’s website, janiceborlavocaljazzcamp.org.
This year’s featured vocal staff artists are Janice Borla, Jay Clayton, and Peter Eldridge, three internationally acclaimed jazz vocalists who each possesses an extensive resume as both a performing artist and a jazz educator.
Camp founder and director Janice Borla’s recordings and performances have earned her consistently high praise for her beautiful sound, adventurous repertoire and imaginative improvisations.
Her latest CD, “From Every Angle,” was among DownBeat Magazine’s Best CDs of the Year. A recognized pioneer in vocal jazz education, Borla established the vocal jazz programs at Benedictine University and the Saskatchewan School of the Arts in Canada, and is currently director of vocal jazz at North Central College.
Returning this year is Jay Clayton, an internationally acclaimed vocalist, composer and educator whose work spans the terrain between jazz and new music. She has recorded with Steve Reich, Muhal Richard Abrams, John Cage, Bobby McFerrin, Jane Ira Bloom and many others, and is co-founder of the acclaimed improvisatory vocal quintet Vocal Summit.
Her latest CD, “The Peace of Wild Things,” showcases her personal style, using her solo voice and innovative use of electronics. Clayton is currently on faculty at the New School in New York City and Peabody Institute in Baltimore.
New to the camp faculty this year is vocalist Peter Eldridge, perhaps best known as a co-founding member of the double Grammy-winning New York Voices, with whom he has recorded and toured for the past 25 years.
He has also worked with Bobby McFerrin, Michael Brecker, Meredith Monk and Fred Hersch, among others. His newest CD project, “Mad Heaven,” showcases his talents as composer and lyricist. Eldridge is currently head of the jazz voice faculty at Manhattan School of Music.
In addition to the vocal faculty artists, featured on the camp staff will be jazz trumpeter Art Davis, formerly with the Ray Charles Orchestra. Also on staff will be the Dan Haerle Trio, composed of pianist Dan Haerle, bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Jack Mouse, each an internationally known jazz artist and clinician.
A special highlight of the week’s activities is the Hot Jazz — 6 Cool Nites evening concert series, featuring the camp faculty artists and open to the public. This year’s concerts will be presented in the Madden Theatre, 121 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. The series opens Sunday, July 21, and continues Tuesday through Friday, July 23-26, featuring a different combination of artists each evening.
The series concludes Saturday, July 27, with a concert featuring all of the camp participants performing with the faculty rhythm section.
For information about the Janice Borla Vocal Jazz Camp, email janiceborla@gmail.com or visit [URL]janiceborlavocaljazzcamp.org;http://janiceborlavocaljazzcamp.org/[URL].[/URL]