(Don’t worry! There's no need to have your mother sew your name into your clothes!)
Since I’m the executive director of the New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp, The Syncopated Times asked me to give some insight into what exactly goes on at a Jazz Camp. I’ll be covering the basic format and information for the four Jazz Camps that concentrate on traditional jazz and swing: The New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp, San Diego Jazz Camp, New York Hot Jazz Camp, and the Welbourne Jazz Camp.
Camp?
First, the word “camp” might be a bit misleading. Although the Sacramento Adult Jazz Camp actually did camp in the woods, in New Orleans our idea of camping is a four-star hotel.
Each camp has its own distinctive style. To quote Molly Ryan, co-founder of the New York Hot Jazz Camp:
“The best part of all these adult camps is that each is a totally unique experience. San Diego is instrumentals only with a shorter camp week (and nonstop beautiful weather). New Orleans is the mega-beast of spirit and early jazz and Welbourne incorporates early styles of dancing and feels like a non-stop jam session on a 520 acre family home, one hour west of Washington DC and…New York is well, New York!”
The granddaddy of all Trad Jazz Camps is, of course, the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Camp. The camp started in 1986 and was divided into separate weeks, one for adult campers and one for a youth camp. Sacram
