Jazz at Florida State

at Florida State University

Imagine this: it is a typical warm evening in Tallahassee. The lights go down in Opperman Music Hall, and the members of the Jazz Ensemble I enter the stage. You and 400 other music lovers are treated to several excellent, swinging charts before Marcus Roberts appears on the stage. For the rest of the night, you experience a magnificent showing of musicianship, virtuosity, and electricity between the guest artist and the ensemble. This is Jazz at Florida State University.

The Jazz faculty in the College of Music are some of the most well-versed and collaborative people in the industry:

Rodney Jordan Professor of Jazz Bass since 2001. He has been the bass player in the Marcus Roberts Trio since 2009 and has also appeared on many different albums with fellow FSU faculty and other Jazz notables, not to mention two albums of his own.

Scotty Barnhart, Professor of Jazz Trumpet since 2003 and director of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra since 2013. Barnhart is a two-time Grammy Award nominee and has played and recorded with famous performers such as Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Tito Puente, and Frank Sinatra.

Leon Anderson, Associate Professor of Jazz Drum Set. In addition to performing with individuals such as Rodney Whitaker at the Dr. Phillips Center Jazz Orchestra in Orlando, Anderson has performed around the world with artists such as Wynton Marsalis and Victor Goines.

Bill Peterson, Professor of Jazz Piano and Music Theory, has an album with his own Jazz trio and has performed and presented around the country and abroad.

The Jazz area’s newest faculty members, Kevin Jones, Associate Professor of Jazz Trombone, and alumnus David Detweiler, Associate Professor of Saxophone, joined FSU in 2016 and are both presenting on national and international levels and releasing recordings. Both have also recently published books. Last but not certainly not least is Marcus Roberts, Associate Professor of Jazz Piano. Roberts is a Grammy Award nominee, a recipient of the American Foundation for the Blind’s Helen Keller Award for Personal Achievement, and a recipient of honorary doctoral degrees from Brigham Young University and The Julliard School. He has been featured on 60 Minutes and has performed with world-renowned artists including Wycliffe Gordon, Béla Fleck, and Chick Corea. His performance and recording credits with Wynton Marsalis stretch over 30 years. Roberts is also an FSU grad.

In a recent interview, Rodney Jordan spoke about the Jazz program at FSU. “[We have] a stellar faculty… everybody’s got national and international recognition,” said Jordan. “Here at Florida State, you get more personal interactions with your professors than you get at other places… it’s one of the things that makes us special.”

Thanks to the world-class faculty and dedicated students, Jazz at Florida State is able to present world-class performances. Recent concerts include the finale performance of the Jazz Week event that took place in January, 2022. Part of this performance included Marcus Roberts’s Deep in the Shed, an important work for Jazz musicians. The College of Music was also able to host the residency of Monty Alexander in October, 2021. Jordan states that, because of his level of performance and his staggering number of recordings, Alexander is a “true treasure in the jazz community,” and that the faculty and students greatly enjoyed having him on campus. The Jazz faculty were also the first concert season performance of the 2021 school year. “There was a lot of uncertainty,” confided Jordan, “but we were able to put on masks and socially distance ourselves… We’re very proud that we were able to lead the new year off.”

Here at Florida State, you get more personal interactions with your professors than you get at other places.” – Rodney Jordan,

Professor of Jazz Studies

Alumni of the Jazz program take the electricity of Jazz in Tallahassee and bring it with them wherever they go. Jordan listed just a sampling of Jazz program alumni:

Amina Scott, bass Lives and teaches in New Orleans. Professor at Loyola University New Orleans and is the leader of her six-piece fusion band named PHYRA. Recently performed with Dee Dee Bridgewater with fellow FSU alumnae Emily Mikesell, trumpet, Marisa Webster, trumpet, and Emily Fredrickson, trombone, who directed the ensemble.

Barry Stephenson, bass Has been a part of Jon Batiste’s band on The Late Show with Steven Colbert and has also been featured on TV shows The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Godfather of Harlem. Recently nominated for a Grammy.

Boyce Griffith, saxophone Currently lives and performs in New York and was a part of Jazz Week at FSU in January, 2022. Plays with Marcus Roberts’s group, The Modern Jazz Generation.

Dave Meder, piano Professor at the University of North Texas and has previously taught at Julliard and New York University. Has performed abroad in China and Honduras and has won awards such as the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award.

Etienne Charles, trumpet On faculty at the University of Miami and an accomplished performer, having performed at locations such as Lincoln Center and the White House. 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship award recipient. Jamison Ross, voice and drums Grammy-nominated and winner of the 2012 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drums Competition. Has performed with artists and groups such as Snarky Puppy, Dr. John, and Wynton Marsalis.

Jason Hainsworth, saxophone Executive Director of the Roots, Jazz, and American Music program at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and reports to the institution’s president as Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Jeff Denson, bass Dean of Instruction and a professor at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley. He has been named a “Rising Star Bass,” “Rising Star Electric Bass,” and “Rising Star Male Vocalist” by Downbeat Magazine.

Wilbert Neal, trombone. Has been performing with American Idol winner Fantasia.

Zach Bartholomew, piano Two-time Florida State alumnus. Currently teaches as an instructor for the Community Arts Program in Miami and is a full-time faculty member at Florida Memorial University.

When it comes down to it, Jazz at Florida State University is a program like no other. “With our program here at Florida State, our emphasis is in the small ensemble,” said Jordan. “We think that, in a small ensemble, that’s where individuals get a lot of attention.” And that attention shows. The number of alumni who graduate and are immediately pivotal to the Jazz world is unmatched, and it is thanks in part to the experiences that are fostered on the campus of Florida State. n