Rubén P. Alvarez

Rubén P. Alvarez is a Chicago based Latin percussionist, drum set artist, author, composer, and educator. His performance and recording credits include movie soundtracks, radio and television jingles and performances and recordings with Grammy nominees Chuchito Valdés, and Ramsey Lewis. He currently performs with Chicago’s premier Latin jazz ensemble Chévere, Orbert Davis and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, and he is the leader and musical director the Raices Profundas Latin Music Ensemble. Rubén is on the faculty of Northwestern University, Roosevelt University, and Columbia College Chicago. He serves as a mentor for the Chicago Jazz Institute Jazz Links Chicago Public Schools residency program. He has presented clinics, master classes and as a keynote speaker numerous national and international educational conferences including PASIC the Percussive Arts Society’s International Convention and the South African Jazz Educators Conference.

His educational articles have been featured in Down Beat magazine, Latin Percussion’s Reading, Writing, and Rhythm education newsletter, and the Zildjian Score. Ruben serves on the current board of directors of The Jazz Education Network, and is a member of Latin Percussion’s educational advisory board, and The Vic Firth Educational Team. Ruben endorses Latin Percussion, Vic Firth mallets and sticks, Zildjian cymbals, and Remo drumheads and percussion.

Paul Chiaravalle

Paul Chiaravalle began his professional career in 1965 with the United States Military Academy Band at West Point and in June 1974, was appointed to the official ceremonial unit and escort to the President of the United States. During the Nation's Bicentennial, he participated in numerous White House ceremonies honoring such visiting dignitaries as Emperor Hirohito of Japan, the King and Queen of Spain, and the Queen of England. After his participation in the inauguration ceremony for President Jimmy Carter, he was appointed director of the Jazz Ambassadors, the Army's premier touring jazz ensemble.

After retiring from the military, he then accepted a position with the Walt Disney Company to manage and operate their International Festival, Educational Outreach, Guest Talent and Special Event Programs. He provided the authentic ethnic folkloric performers for Epcot from around the globe and contracted the guest talent utilized for the Walt Disney TV Specials and Movie Premieres.

After leaving the Disney Company, he headed up United Arts as President & CEO prior to accepting his current position in 2001 as Associate Vice President & Chief of Staff for Columbia College Chicago, the largest Media, Communications, and Arts College in the world.

John Clayton

The talents of John Clayton as bassist/composer/arranger/conductor are always in demand within the jazz industry. He graces the cover of JazzTimes Magazine in April, 2009 touting his skills as an arranger.

John has written and arranged music for Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, Nancy Wilson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Milt Jackson, Michael Buble, Regina Carter and others. He received a platinum record for his “The Star-Spangled Banner” arrangement sung by Whitney Houston during the 1991 Super Bowl, and has won numerous awards. John has received seven Grammy © nominations and in 2008, he received a Grammy © award for his arrangement of “I’m Going to Live Til I Die” featured on Queen Latifah’s CD “Travlin Light”.

John serves as the Artistic Director for the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival, which received the National Medal of Arts in 2007. He is also the Artistic Director for the Port Townsend Jazz Camp and the Vail Jazz Camp.

John co-leads the Grammy © nominated Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with brother and saxophonist Jeff Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. John and Jeff also co-lead the Clayton Brothers Quintet. Both groups are actively touring and recording.

Clayton began his study of the double bass at 16 when under the tutelage of the famous Ray Brown. His discography includes more than 60 titles.

Steve Crissinger

Steve has been instrumental in building the multi-faceted JEN website, establishing JEN on Facebook, and creating the Quarterly eNewsletter as service to the organization.

Upon graduation from Capital University with a history degree and minor in music, Steve became a professional staff member for the Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America. Steve’s successful tenure included valuable experience in non-profit administration, operations, membership management and fundraising.

Utilizing lessons learned from his time in the Capital University Big Band in his personal and professional life, Steve and two partners launched 12 Points Graphics & Apparel in 2004, a screen-printing/embroidery company based in Ohio. 12 Points has enjoyed continued success and experienced consistent growth, including becoming the primary merchandiser for several prominent organizations in the music industry.

Steve also served as a Corporate Manger for Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, and has recently served as Finance Chairmen for the Tri-Creek District, Simon Kenton Council. Additionally, Steve serves as Treasurer for the Jazz Education Connection of Ohio, volunteers as advisor to the Senior High Youth Group at church, and acts as alumni advisor for the Capital Jazz Studies Department.

Jose Diaz

Jose Antonio Diaz is the Director of the MacArthur High School Jazz Ensemble and Artistic Director for Diaz Music Institute in Houston, Texas. During his tenure, the group has garnered many first place awards in local, regional, and national level jazz ensemble competitions and has performed with such artists as Eddie Palmieri, Jon Faddis, Poncho Sanchez, Dave Valentin, and Arturo Sandoval, to name just a few.

Diaz's groups have performed twice for IAJE and five times for the Midwest Clinic. Diaz's success with the MacArthur High School Jazz Program was the subject of a featured cover story in SBO Magazine and Band Director's Guide Magazine. He received a Down Beat Magazine Award for Achievement in Jazz Education and was selected by FOX 26 and Univision Television stations as a Hispanic Hero. Recently, Diaz was inducted into the Texas Christian University Band of Fame. In June 2008 Jose received the prestigious Jefferson Award for his work with Diaz Music Institute.

Diaz is Past-president of IAJE-Texas Chapter, past member of the Da Camera of Houston Teacher Advisory Board and the Midwest Clinic Advisory Panel, co-author of Middle School Music Expressions™ and Jazz Expressions™ (Alfred Music Publication) and is an active composer, arranger, and clinician.

Dr. Lou Fischer

Dr. Lou Fischer is co-founder and membership manager of JEN. A Professor of Music, Lou acts as Jazz Studies Chair/Graduate Coordinator, jazz ensemble director at Capital University. A member of the UNT One O’Clock (‘71-‘74), Fischer holds a BM and MA from the University of Denver, and a Doctor of Arts from Ball State University.

As current jazz division head for Music For All, Lou’s forty-five year career represents a Who’s Who in Music, including composing and/or performing studio work, Broadway Shows, and extensive touring with The Crusaders, Red Rodney, Airto, Charlie Byrd, Andy Williams, Emmy Lou Harris, Woody Herman, Louis Bellson, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Bill Watrous and Bobby Shew. Recordings include Beaux J Poo Boo All Things Are New; Steve Houghton’s Gershwin: The Manne We Love; Bill Watrous’ A Time For Love & Bone-i-fied; Shelly Berg’s The Joy; Frank Mantooth’s A Miracle; and Sunny Wilkinson’s High Wire, among others.

A Yamaha Bass Artist Representative, clinics/concerts include Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Mexico, and three hundred+ institutions across the U.S. Published by Hal Leonard, Walrus, and Alfred, Lou has directed All State Ensembles in Texas, North Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wisconsin, and Louisiana.

Rick Kessel

Founding publisher of JAZZed magazine as well as SBO - School Band & Orchestra, and Choral Director magazines. Rick Kessel serves as publisher for Symphony Publishing's music education group of magazines which include, JAZZed, SBO - School Band & Orchestra, and CD - Choral Director magazines and also as associate publisher for MMR - Musical Merchandise Review.

Rick grew up in central New Jersey and holds a bachelor's degree in music and audio technology from Indiana University and an MBA from Clark University in Massachusetts.

Rick has over twenty five years experience in the magazine publishing field and was responsible for launching SBO magazine in 1998 and Choral Director Magazine in 2004, and JAZZed in 2006.

As a staunch advocate for music education, Rick has continually encouraged support for music in the schools in his numerous magazine editorials.

Rick's extensive background as a professional clarinetist and teacher has included performances with Luciano Pavarotti and Henry Mancini.

Rick is currently the principal clarinetist for Symphony Pro Musica in central Massachusetts, and is an active member of the American Bandmasters Association, MENC, and is a member of the board of directors of the Jazz Education Network.

Rick resides in Worcester, Massachusetts with his wife Cynthia and sons Samuel and Nathan.

Jackie Harris

Jackie Harris has spent the past 28 years providing convention planning, event management, festival/music production, program development, administration/coordination, and tour management services to a variety of clients in the United States and abroad.

Harris began pursuing creative opportunities in the areas of culture, tourism, music, entertainment and the arts after leaving a profession in the oil industry. She spent nearly 10 years at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, as Assistant Fair Director and Night Concerts Producer. She then led the City’s Music and Entertainment Commission for eight years marked by tremendous success in re-positioning New Orleans as an entertainment mecca and marketing its rich cultural legacy as the “Birthplace of Jazz.”

Harris led the charge that resulted in the first airport in the United States to be named for a jazz artist – Louis Armstrong International Airport and wrote proposals and developed strategies that resulted in attracting and retaining major conventions and events to New Orleans including the Essence Music Festival and many others.

She also created and serves as executive director of the fourteen year old, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp that has provided jazz music education to more than 1400 young music students.

Mary Jo Papich

Mary Jo Papich, known for avid support and leadership in jazz education, is co-founder/President of the Jazz Education Network. Serving public school education for 30+ years, in her 8th year as Fine Arts Chair at Highland Park High School (IL) she coordinates FOCUS ON THE ARTS, working with 400+ volunteers and 270 artists. Her leadership positions include: Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Advisory Board, IMEA state board and serving on the Artistic Access to Excellence Panel for the NEA.

Mary Jo’s recent honors include Superintendent’s Recognition Award, HP Arts Inspiration Award, Character Counts Award, and the Prestigious Women in Jazz Award from the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. While the districts Fine Arts Coordinator of 35 schools in the Peoria public school system (’92-’01), she founded and directed the Peoria Jazz All Stars whose performances included Montreux, North Sea, and Umbria Jazz Festivals and numerous other state and local events. Prior, Mary Jo was an award winning band director at Peoria’s Woodruff High School and Roosevelt Arts Magnet School.

Mary Jo, (Truman State-MO/Bradley University-IL), has presented at MidWest Clinic, IAJE Conferences, various conferences/festivals, Siena Jazz Foundation and was keynoter - South African Jazz Conference (2008). Her professional affiliations include IMEA, MENC, IAEA, International Women in Jazz and NARAS. Her goal is for JEN to be the vital jazz resource today and for JENerations to come!

Paris Rutherford

Paris Rutherford is a highly respected vocal jazz arranger and author. Currently a Regents Professor in Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas, his numerous publications include over eighty vocal jazz arrangements and the new book The Vocal Jazz Ensemble (Hal Leonard Music, Inc.) plus vocal arrangements for Sound Music Publications, UNC Jazz Press, and via Artist Share for Maria Schneider. At UNT, he directs the award-winning Jazz Singers ensemble, and teaches both vocal and instrumental arranging. Rutherford is a member of ASCAP - his instrumental works have been performed and recorded by groups such as the North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band, the Dallas Jazz Orchestra, and heard in performance by symphony orchestras in Dallas, Denver, Memphis, and Fort Worth, among others. He is proud to be associated with JEN.

Bruce Silva

Bruce Silva has enjoyed a vibrant and varied work history in music as a trumpet performer, educator, and businessman.

Bruce has performed with artists such as Branford Marsalis, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Clark Terry, Eliane Elias, Don Menza, Diane Schuur, Dianne Reeves and Frank Sinatra Jr. Touring engagements have included performing with Ray Charles, Clark Terry, Rich Matteson and Louis Bellson. Jazz festival appearances include Montreux, Sarasota, Toronto, Wichita, and Jacksonville Jazz Festivals. Bruce has also performed at numerous International Association of Jazz Education conventions and at the Midwest Clinic.

In 1988, he accepted the position of administrator to the University of North Florida jazz program and served as UNF’s trumpet instructor and director of the highly acclaimed UNF Jazz Ensemble I. Bruce also served on the board of directors of the Jacksonville Florida musician’s union serving as president from 1991 – 1993.

Bruce joined Boosey & Hawkes as a regional manager in 1995. In 2001, he was appointed Sales and Marketing Manager for The Music Group and later became the National Account Manager. In June 2005, Bruce was hired as Vice President of Buffet Crampon USA, Inc. Bruce currently serves on the board as Treasurer for JEN.

Bob Sinicrope

Bob Sinicrope, a consummate educator and accomplished bassist, is the inaugural recipient of the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year (2007). For forty years Bob has taught in diverse settings. In 1974, he founded the Milton Academy Jazz Program, which he continues to direct. The program has won numerous national and regional awards and produced outstanding graduates including Aaron Goldberg and Steve Lehman. He has also taught in the Peace Corps, for Jamey Aeberold’s Summer Jazz Workshops since 1981, and presented workshops at conferences and schools on six continents. Bob is a highly respected bassist in the Boston area and has performed worldwide.

Bob has forged special connections with South Africa. He has toured there seven times with Milton Academy students performing nationally and delivering nearly $100,000 worth of donated materials to needy African music programs. He has also traveled to South Africa to teach, perform and serve as an educational consultant.

His five decades of organizational leadership, the breadth of his teaching experience and knowledge, and his forward-looking vision afford him a unique perspective on jazz education. He has a gift for making global connections and forming coalitions with jazz educators, music industry leaders and musicians.

Terell Stafford

Known for being a gifted and versatile player with a voice all his own, Stafford combines lyricism and a deep love of melody with a spirited, adventurous edge.

Since the mid-1990’s Stafford has performed with in groups with Benny Golson, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Frank Wess, the Jimmy Heath Big Band, and the Jon Faddis Orchestra. Currently, he is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Matt Wilson’s “Arts and Crafts” and Alvin Queen’s “Alvin Queen and the Organics.” Stafford has recorded five albums as a leader and is heard on over 40 albums as a sideman.

An educator as well as a performer, Stafford currently holds the positions of Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University and is a clinician for the prestigious Vail Foundation in Colorado Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Program. He has also served as a member of the faculty for the Julliard Institute for Jazz Studies in New York.

Stafford was born in Miami and raised in Chicago and Silver Spring, Maryland. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Maryland and a Masters of Music from Rutgers University.

Andrew Surmani

Andrew Surmani is a native of Oakland, California who now resides in Los Angeles. He played trumpet in the California All-State Honor Band, the McDonald's All-American Marching Band and Jazz Band, and the Walt Disney World All-American College Jazz Band. Andrew attended California State University, Northridge where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree in Trumpet Performance. While at Northridge he played with the CSUN Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Jazz "A" Band. He has toured throughout the USA, Europe and Japan, and performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. After playing lead trumpet in shows at Walt Disney World, Andrew returned to southern California to pursue his MBA degree and began working for Alfred Publishing Company. Andrew is currently the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Managing Director, School and Church Publishing. He is co-author of Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, along with his wife Karen Farnum Surmani, a former LA Unified School District music educator, and Morton Manus, President of Alfred Publishing Company. Andrew currently serves as a founding board member of the Jazz Education Network and is on the curriculum committee for the Masters in Music Industry Studies degree program at CSUN.

Jim Widner

An alumnus of the Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and Glenn Miller big bands, Jim Widner is celebrating his "20th" year of hosting summer camps all across the United States. As a bassist with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Jim was strongly influenced and motivated by Kenton’s dedication to young student musicians and was a faculty member of the Kenton camps for 10 years.

A graduate of the University of Missouri, Jim also holds an MA degree from Memphis State University and has done postgraduate work at the University of North Texas. Jim has performed at the world famous Lionel Hampton and Montreaux Jazz Festivals. His performance background includes concert dates with Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Mulgrew Miller, Louis Bellson, Randy Brecker, Bill Watrous, and Marilyn Maye. Jim also serves as guest conductor for numerous All-State Jazz Bands. In April of 2006, Jim was inducted into The Statesmen of Jazz.

Currently Jim is Artist in Residence/Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. His jazz camps are spearheaded by members of the Jim Widner Big Band which records on the Chase Music Group Label.

John Wittmann

John Wittmann is the Manager of Education and Artist Relations for the Band and Orchestral Division of Yamaha Corporation of America. He is responsible for organizing the educational support for over 650 woodwind, brass, string and percussion artists as well as running educational programs such as Sounds of Summer and Yamaha Young Performing Artists.

John produced the Living Legends Video Series for Yamaha and is producer of Yamaha’s “Days of” series which are shows in NYC and Los Angeles presenting the highest caliber artists in concert.

He holds a Bachelors and a Master of Arts Degree in Music Education. John has toured extensively throughout the United States and abroad as a drummer and has given hundreds of drum set clinics. He remains an active performer and clinician and is the drummer for recording artist Jennie DeVoe. John has lectured on career development at NAMM conventions, major universities, PASIC 2004/2007 and other music festivals. He is the recipient of the Percussive Arts Society’s 2007 President’s Industry Award and his writings have been published in many magazines including Modern Drummer.

Previous to his duties at Yamaha, John taught percussion and jazz ensemble at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana and was a band director in New York State where he headed two highly successful High School programs.