For the past several years, the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society’s Teagarden Youth Trad Jazz Camp has had to turn away applicants, and so we have expanded our camp program for 2017 to two one-week camps, rather than just one.
The first week will be from July 23rd to July 29th, and the second week will be from July 31st to August 6th. We can now accept 90 campers for each week, and hopefully not have to turn anyone away!
The faculty for week one will consist of:
Trumpet/Cornet: Rusty Stiers and Jeff Kreis
Trombone: Greg Varlotta
Saxophone: Terry Myers
Clarinet: Anita Thomas
Bass/Tuba: Matt Perrine
Guitar/Banjo: Howard Alden
Piano: Jason Wanner and Curtis Brengle
Vocal: Shelley Burns
Week two faculty will consist of:
Trumpet: Rusty Stiers and Bria Skonberg
Trombone: Greg Varlotta
Saxophone: Terry Myers
Clarinet: Anita Thomas
Bass/Tuba: Matt Perrine
Guitar/Banjo: Nahum Zdybel
Piano: Jason Wanner and Curtis Brengle
Vocal: Shelley Burns
The Teagarden Trad Jazz Camps have been operating for the past 31 years, and many of the current crop of young trad jazz players in both New York and New Orleans are graduates of our program. Some have continued to work with us as counselors, and several have found their way onto the faculty.
The camp focuses on improvisation, both individual and collective, in the “Dixieland” or small band swing styles. Campers work with lead sheets only—no written arrangements—and are encouraged at all times to use their ears to determine what works.
Campers are distributed into bands with players of similar experience, and also receive semi-private lessons from our truly all-star faculty. Group instruction is also offered by our wonderful counseling staff, and of course, fun is always part of the day.
We have created, and maintain, a culture of acceptance, safety, and mutual support, so that everyone feels genuinely welcome, and is able to try new concepts with no fear of failure.
We have been at Sly Park, in Pollock Pines, California, since 1986, and the campers always enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings of the Sierra foothills. For more information on the camp, please visit our website at: www.sacjazzcamp.org, or contact camp director Bill Dendle at bdendle@comcast.net, 916-927-5222.
Bill Dendle is the Camp Director of the Teagarden Jazz Camp. He can be reached at bdendle@comcast.net
