Jazz Mini-Week 2026

Scott Latzky

Where does swing come from? Find out with your whole body. Through African percussion, clapping, singing, dance, and the jazz drum set, this hands-on class traces the roots of swing, syncopation, and polyrhythm — and puts them in your hands and feet. No instrument or experience needed.

Kyoko Kitamura

Ever wondered what it feels like to play freely with other people — no rules, no wrong notes? Brooklyn-based vocalist and composer Kyoko Kitamura leads a welcoming session of collective improvisation: breathing and rhythm games, graphic scores made of drawings and symbols instead of sheet music, and group creation where everyone is both player and composer. Bring an instrument or just bring yourself.

David Ambrosio

In the late 1960s, Black jazz composers created a remarkable body of instrumental protest music — much of it released years late and never given its due. Bassist and bandleader David Ambrosio, whose project Civil Disobedience is bringing this repertoire back to the stage, guides a listening journey through the music that spoke to the civil rights era — and speaks just as urgently today.

Andrea Veneziani

Jazz improvisation is a social act as much as a musical one. Drawing on psychology and sociology, bassist Andrea Veneziani explores how musicians communicate, build trust, make split-second decisions, and reach flow states together — and what a jazz ensemble can teach any team about leadership and collaboration. No musical background needed.

Kenny Wessel

Guitarist Kenny Wessel, longtime member of Ornette Coleman's Prime Time band, demystifies free jazz in this 50-minute class: improvising beyond chord changes, deep listening, and finding groove in freedom. Open to all instruments and levels.

Alyssa Chetrick

Trained to read every note on the page — and terrified to leave it? This class is for you. A hands-on, accessible introduction to improvisation for players coming from classical repertoire, ending with a friendly jam session open to every level. Leave your fear (but not your instrument) at home.

Michelle Walker

Grab whatever's in your bag or pocket — keys, a water bottle, a notebook — and become the rhythm section. Guided over a 12-bar blues, groups trade solos, play call and response, and learn the unspoken language of a jam session. No instrument required, no experience needed, maximum fun guaranteed.

David Scott

Can you write a song in under an hour? Yes — and you will. Trumpeter David Scott walks the room through a real-time composition challenge: a simple structure, a spark of an idea, and the clock ticking. By the end of class, the room performs what it wrote.

Michelle Walker, Marc Mommaas, Patience Higgins

Jazz was born on bandstands and passed down ear to ear — so what happens when it moves into the conservatory? Three veteran musician-educators tackle one of the field's liveliest debates: what's gained and what's lost when an oral tradition becomes an academic discipline. Bring your questions; this panel is designed to spark arguments, not settle them.

Charlie A'Picella, with special guest Daniel Carter

A rare evening with living history. Guitarist Charlie A'Picella — lecturer and curator for the Yusef Lateef Estate, and a student of Lateef, Shepp, and Martino — is joined by legendary multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter to explore where free improvisation meets the compositional minds of three masters. Part masterclass, part performance, entirely unrepeatable.

Vito Lesczak

What made Miles Davis the greatest storyteller in jazz? Note by note, silence by silence, this class dives into how Miles built solos that speak — and what every musician (and listener) can steal from him.

Ole Mathisen

Everyone can improvise — on anything. Saxophonist Ole Mathisen, founder of Columbia University's Hybrid Arts Ensemble, shares techniques far outside the traditional jazz approach: limiting pitches to unlock rhythm, limiting rhythm to unlock melody, textural free improvisation, twelve-tone games, and the art of trusting your instincts more than your ears. The perfect send-off: leave the week believing you can play.