NAU Jazz Festival 2017
Dear Jazz Educators,
Northern Arizona University Jazz Studies would like to invite you the 55th annual NAU Jazz Festival to be held
February 23-25, 2017.
NAU Jazz Festival is an ABODA sanctioned festival for middle school, high school, and community colleges. Our
festival is a non-competitive setting, which creates a relaxed atmosphere and promotes education. Big bands and
combos perform for three adjudicators to receive ratings and/or comments. Following the performances each group
participates in a clinic with one of our esteemed adjudicator/clinicians. Directors will receive written comments as
well as CD recordings of both their band’s performance and adjudicator comments.
In the past, the NAU Jazz Festival has featured the talents of many renowned guest artists such as Jim McNeely,
Peter Erskine, John Abercrombie, Maria Schneider, Bobby Shew, Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, Brice Winston,
Jeremy Pelt, Glenn Zaleski, and Lucas Pino.
This year’s festival will feature talented trombonist-composer,
Nick Finzer. Nick is quickly becoming one of the most in
demand trombonists and band leaders in NYC and has been
extremely active as an educator and clinician. He holds
degrees from The Eastman School of Music and The Juilliard
School and recently served as Visiting Professor of Jazz
Trombone at Florida State University, 2014-2016. His recent
recording as a leader, The Chase has received critical
acclaim, rising to number six in JazzWeek chart and he is
currently preparing for the release of his latest record, Hear
and Now in early 2017. Read more about Nick in the included
biography.
Nick Finzer will give an open clinic on Friday, February 24th at 1:00 pm in Ardrey Memorial Auditorium. The clinic is
free and open to the public. Our Guest Artist Concert will also be Friday, February 24th at 8pm featuring Nick with
NAU Jazz Ensemble One in Ardrey Memorial Auditorium. Tickets will be available through the NAU Central Ticket
Office at (888) 520-7214.
Your application form is included with this letter. Please submit your application and payment by the due date of
Friday, February 10, 2017. In recent years we have had very full schedules with waiting lists for some days.
Applications will be processed as they are received. Please return your application in a timely manner to ensure your
band’s participation in the festival.
We look forward to seeing you in February!
Regards,
Chris Finet
String Bass and Jazz Studies
Northern Arizona University School of Music
B
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Nick Finzer is one of the most exciting musicians of
the millennial generation.
An award-winning composer, arranger, and trombonist, Finzer is
bringing the joy and power of Jazz to both traditional fans and 21st
century audiences who try everything from flying off cliffs in
specially-designed suits to fugu sushi. He’s on a mission to be a
passionate voice defining the sound of Jazz in this age, and to bring
a little street cred to the trombone, which is a bold, tight sound.
In January of 2013 Nick released his recording debut as a
bandleader and composer with “Exposition” (Outside In
Music). Two tracks appearing on the album garnered Finzer
a pair of accolades: The prestigious American Society of
Composers and Performers (ASCAP)’s Herb Alpert
Award for young composers (2013 & 2015)
Finzer has been seen across the globe on television and
the web millions of times as part of the pop web
phenom band, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox.
He has toured with the group in North America and
Europe. His Jazz videos and albums are seen and heard
around the world as well.
Famed trombonist and mentor Wycliffe Gordon
called Finzer “a new voice [in] the pantheon of
upcoming trombone greats in the making” and
added “Nick's CD is a glowing example of
things to come.”
In 2011 Nick was the winner of the Eastern
Trombone Workshop’s National Jazz
Trombone Competition and was a
finalist in the 2010 International
Trombone Association’s Carl
Fontana Jazz Trombone
Competition.
Born into the musical world
(Mom Sherry Finzer is an
international flutist), Finzer
developed a fascination for
the music of Duke Ellington
and found himself, in high
school, performing at the
annual Essentially Ellington
competition of Jazz at Lincoln Center. It was then that he decided to pursue a life in music himself. His
budding talent was recognized by Wycliffe Gordon who began a life-long mentorship by writing four pieces
for the young Finzer while he attended the Eastman School of Music. Nick went on to get his masters at
Juilliard’s prestigious Jazz program where he was mentored by the trombone legend Steve Turre.
NICK FINZER
In 2014, Nick composed two new album-length works,. HIs first, “The
Chase” debuts in July of 2015 on the Origin Records label, and his “Ten
Year Suite,” is in performance development and will have a future album
release.
Finzer has performed at top Jazz clubs and concert halls with Wynton
Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Lucas Pino’s No Net Nonet,
Bob Stewart’s Double Quartet, Frank Wess, Lew Tabackin, Terrell
Stafford, Lewis Nash and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Walt Weiskopf,
John Clayton, Slide Hampton, Frank Kimbrough, Carl Allen, Ray
Drummond, Steve Turre and many more.
For more information or his EPK, contact
[email protected] or at 561.504.1199.