What Is Jazz Camp and When Did It Start?

The Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz camp was established in 1995 to honor the legacy of a beloved international ambassador and one of New Orleans ’ greatest native sons, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. The Camp was designed to perpetuate the rich jazz tradition by teaching young people the art form in the city where it was created.

What started as a one-week project for 35 youngsters now is a three-week experience for as many as 120 young musicians annually. Since its inception, more than 900 youngsters have participated in the program

Who Created the Jazz Camp and Why?

The Camp was developed by the City of New Orleans ’ Music and Entertainment Commission. Since 2000, the Camp has been presented by the New Orleans Arts and Cultural Host Committee – a local non-profit entity – that had been actively fund raising for the Camp.

Who Attends Jazz Camp?

The Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp annually attracts from 90 to 120 youngsters, between the ages of 10-20. For three weeks, the students experience an intense learning environment of instruction and performance. Only students enrolled in a music education program, either through school or private instruction, are considered. All youngsters must be interviewed and audition as part of the process of being accepted into the Camp. The program is designed for youngsters serious about furthering their musical education and interested in learning more about jazz as an art form. Students from all economic backgrounds are accepted, and recruitment advisers also focus on ensuring that at-risk financially challenged kids have the opportunity to be considered for acceptance as camp participants.

The Camp also attracts students nationally and internationally. Students from Ingolstadt , Germany ; Norway ; Aruba ; and Canada have attended.

What Is the Curriculum?

Jazz Master Classes are offered in various instrumental areas, including: trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, flute, trombone, piano

(beginners and advanced classes), drum set(beginners and advance classes), up-right acoustic and electric bass. Plus – Jazz Vocals and Techniques, a Beginning Composition/Music Theory unit, and a Music History component supported by field trips to sites significant to the history and development of jazz.

Jazz Camp now includes two week long workshops offered two weeks prior to the three week classroom program. The University of New Orleans is the home of the camp’s Music Production Workshop. Young people interested in music production/engineering are afforded an opportunity to record a CD and work on the Protools board. Loyola University of New Orleans hosts the camp’s Music Business Workshop. Students receive information about copywriting, artists contracts and how to be an affective band leader.

Who are the Faculty?

The Camp is produced by Jackie Harris , former executive director of the Music and Entertainment Commission of New Orleans, and a 20-year veteran in music and festival production. The Jazz Camp is her brainchild.

The Camp Artistic Director is noted avant garde jazz artist and renowned educator Edward “Kidd” Jordan . The faculty is an impressive roster – a “who’s who” of acclaimed jazz musicians and educators. Clarinetist Alvin Batiste, jazz vocalist Germaine Bazzle, drummers Jonathan Bloom and Herman Jackson, bassist Brian Quezerque, flutist Kent Jordan, trumpeters Clyde Kerr, Jr.and Marlon Jordan, pianists Peter Cho and Darrell Lavigneand others form the teaching corps.

Outstanding international performers round out the faculty by serving as Visiting Artists-in-Residence. These faculty members have included world-renowned trumpeters, Wynton Marsalis; Dr. Donald Byrd, Clark Terry and Jon Faddis; drummer Chico Hamilton and Herlin Riley; bassists William Parker, Rufus Reid and Reggie Workman; pianists Barry Harris and Cecil Taylor; saxophonists Hamiett Bluiet and Donald Harrison, Jr. Symphonic composer Roger Dickerson, Sr.; and drummer, Alvin Fielder return each year as Annual Artists-in-Residence. .

In the Spotlight

Jazz Camp has received national attention . Jazz Campers have appeared on two weekend editions of “The Today Show;” local New Orleans television stations WWL-TV and WDSU-TV; been featured on a National Public Radio series on Louis Armstrong; performed at the Computer Associates Convention and the UniverSoul Circus Press Event; and stepped into the spotlight at the 2000 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with Wynton Marsalis.

Students ensembles have also performed at the United States Conference of Mayors’ (USCM) Media Reception; and been applauded by the USCM as one of the nation’s best youth arts programs, performing at the USCM Arts Gala with youngsters from the Theolonius Monk Institute. Young campers have taken center stage at the International Association of Jazz Educators Convention and the Satchmo SummerFest.

Appearances in 2002 included the Microsoft Convention in New Orleans , the opening of the Target Store in the Clearview Mall ( Metairie , LA ) and a return to the Satchmo SummerFest. The Camp has also been videotaped and students interviewed for a segment on the national syndicated PBS children’s television show, “The Cory the Clown Show.”

The Challenge

In an era in which public schools are forced to cut back on arts and music education, there is a need to offer projects which promote creative thinking and expressions . The New Orleans Arts and Cultural Host Committee and the Jazz Camp staff are committed to providing young people with productive activities to keep them positively involved. The discipline employed in learning music is a character-building skill which is useful throughout life. Additionally, Jazz Camp is a positive creative outlet for youthful energy in this age of juvenile crime and other negative influences.

Forums for exchange between students and professionals, including hands-on experiences, are key to these young people achieving their full potential as adults. This collective “vision” for our children inspired by the Louis ”Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp is essential to become a reality. Jazz Camp also contributes directly to the preservation of jazz traditions by exposing and encouraging young people to express themselves through this genre of music.

The “X” Factor in a Winning Formula:
Of course, the “X” factor in our winning formula is the critical financial support the Camp receives . This support ensures that the Camp will operate and remain an affordable opportunity.

The Jazz Camp is an affordable program. It costs only $1,600 per child to produce the Camp. We want to reach out to interested students and we do not want a high tuition to make Jazz Camp an exclusive, expensive proposition. Instructors and artists-in-residence offer their expertise for minimal remunerations. They also participate in a benefit concert to generate Camp revenues.

But it has been the contributions of community leaders, public and private entities that make the Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp a reality.

Related Posts

1. Six Chicago Students Go To Louis Armstrong Chicago Jazz Camp In New Orleans
2. Louis Armstrong Sings Pharaoh Sanders’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan”: Listen and tell us what you think
3. JALC Radio Brings You Wynton Marsalis & Friends – Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives
4. A Few Facts About Louis Armstrong: What You May Not Know
5. Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops At The University of Louisville