BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Vermont Jazz Center - ECPv6.16.3//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Vermont Jazz Center
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://vtjazz.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Vermont Jazz Center
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Halifax
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20180311T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20181104T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20190310T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20191103T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20200308T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20201101T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20210314T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20211107T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20220313T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20221106T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20230312T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20231105T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20240310T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20241103T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20250309T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20251102T050000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0300
TZNAME:ADT
DTSTART:20260308T060000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0300
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:AST
DTSTART:20261101T050000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251109
DTSTAMP:20260826T192322
CREATED:20250730T152048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251027T191214Z
UID:10000128-1762560000-1762646399@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:DAY 2 Emerging Artist Festival feat. Ulysses Owens Jr. and Gen. Y
DESCRIPTION:Saturday\, November 8\, 11:00 – 5:00 PM\, Student Performances & Free Clinic (4 PM) with Ulysses Owens Jr.: VJC teams up with area schools to feature additional student groups from area high schools and colleges. Daytime activities will culminate in a no-cost clinic offered by three-time Grammy Award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. to area youth and older aficionados. This year\, we’re thrilled to feature student groups from Amherst College Ensemble: Petra\, Putney School (tentative)\,VJC Youth Jazz Ensemble\, UMass Ensemble 1\, Northfield Quintet\, UMass Ensemble 2\, BUHS Madrigals\, and BUHS Big Band. \nClinic Topic: Communication on the Bandstand \nOwens and Generation Y will play a few tunes and then they will discuss the ways in which they communicate with each other through words and examples. How do we signal each other that we want another improvised chorus\, communicate that we want to bring the energy up or down\, or let the horn players know that it’s time to join in for background figures? Owens and Generation Y have worked together to develop their personalized communication and they look forward to sharing their knowledge with us! \n  \nSaturday\, November 8 at 7:30 pm Headliner Concert Ulysses Owens Jr. & Generation Y Ensemble: Three-time Grammy Award-winning drummer\, composer\, and bandleader Ulysses Owens Jr. is a drummer who “take[s] a back seat to no one\,” and “a musician who balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation” (New York Times). He is one of the most dynamic and multifaceted artists of his generation. As a multifaceted artist\, Owens is equally at home behind the drum set\, directing large ensembles\, authoring acclaimed educational books\, and building community through the arts. \nCost:\nFriday and Saturday Daytime Events: Free\nSaturday Evening Concert: $25+ (Sliding Scale) \nSaturday\, November 8\, 7:30 PM Concert with Ulysses Owens Jr. & Generation Y Band: \nThree-time Grammy Award-winning drummer\, composer\, and bandleader Ulysses Owens Jr. is a drummer who “take[s] a back seat to no one\,” and “a musician who balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation” (New York Times). As a multifaceted artist\, Owens is equally at home behind the drum set\, directing large ensembles\, authoring acclaimed educational books\, and building community through the arts. \nOwens has appeared on multiple Grammy Award-winning recordings with Kurt Elling and the Christian McBride Big Band\, and received his third Grammy in 2023 for his work with Steven Feifke\, Bijon Watson\, and the Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra. As a bandleader\, his acclaimed albums Songs of Freedom\, Soul Conversations\, and A New Beat have received honors from Rolling Stone\, DownBeat\, and Jazziz\, with A New Beat topping the JazzWeek charts for eight weeks in 2024. \nHe is the founder and drummer of the Ulysses Owens Jr. Big Band (named DownBeat’s 2022 Rising Star Big Band) and Generation Y\, a group of emerging artists who recently toured globally and gained viral attention for their Nirvana cover “Heart-Shaped Box\,” reaching over five million views. \nA respected educator\, Owens serves on the jazz faculty at The Juilliard School and is the inaugural jazz drum instructor for Drumeo’s global platform. He has published three books on jazz drumming and career development\, and regularly contributes to DownBeat\, JazzTimes\, and The New York Times. He is also the Artistic Director of “Don’t Miss a Beat\,” a nonprofit organization using the arts to empower youth in his hometown of Jacksonville\, Florida. \nFor this performance\, Owens leads his Generation Y ensemble. Like the legendary drummer Art Blakey\, Owens pays close attention to the leading young artists of our time and asks them to join his powerful ensemble. For this performance\, he will be joined by Anthony Hervey on trumpet (performed at VJC with Endea Owens)\, Erena Terakubo on alto saxophone (Mingus Big Band\, Kenny Barron Quartet)\, Liya Grigoryan on piano (Thelonious Monk Competition finalist) and Guillermo Lopez on bass (first prize winner of the Scott LaFaro Prize at the 2025 International Society of Bassists).
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/day-2-emerging-artist-festival-feat-ulysses-owens/
LOCATION:Vermont Jazz Center\, 72 Cotton Mill Hill\, Brattleboro\, VT\, 05301\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/UlyssesOwensJr3.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241102
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241103
DTSTAMP:20260826T192322
CREATED:20241018T164717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241018T171005Z
UID:10000118-1730505600-1730591999@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:DAY 2 Emerging Artist Festival feat. Ekep Nkwelle Quartet
DESCRIPTION:7:30 pm Concert with Ekep Nkwelle Quartet\nEkep Nkwelle\, a 24-year-old Cameroonian-American jazz vocalist\, has carved her musical path from the vibrant streets of Washington\, DC\, to the heart of New York City’s jazz scene—from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts to Howard University\, to Julliard’s graduate program in jazz. Nkwelle has sung with numerous jazz luminaries including Russell Malone\, Cyrus Chestnut\, Peter Washington\, Emmet Cohen\, and Endea Owens. She has performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra as a featured artist\, and sung for audiences in iconic venues nationwide\, including Radio City Music Hall\, the Library of Congress\, Blues Alley\, the Kennedy Center\, Lincoln Center\, and the Strathmore. She has sung for audiences at Newport\, Montclair\, Hudson\, and DC jazz festivals as well. In 2023 Nkwelle was nominated by Wynton Marsalis to receive the Juilliard Career Advancement Grant; this recognition was soon followed by her performance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts.” Ms. Nkwelle was chosen by Dee Dee Bridgewater to participate in her exclusive\, all-women artistic residency\, The Woodshed Network. As one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s newest rising stars\, Ekep Nkwelle is poised to shape the future of jazz.  \nSATURDAY SCHEDULE LISTED BELOW\n \nDay 2: Saturday\, November 2 @ Vermont Jazz Center\nStudent group performances\, Ekep Nkwelle clinic for student musicians & Concert with Ekep Nkwelle Quartet \n11:00 to 4:00 pm: Student group performances. Location: Vermont Jazz Center Main Stage (New!)\nOn Saturday the VJC\, in association with area high schools & universities\, will present student groups performing half-hour sets on our main stage from 11:00 – 4:00 pm.  \n Line up:      \n    11:00  UMass Jazz Ensemble 1 \n     11:45  UMass Jazz Ensemble 2 \n     12:30  Northfield Mt. Hermon Jazz Trio \n     1:15  Amherst College – Hypatia Ensemble  \n     1:45  VJC Youth Jazz Ensemble \n     2:30  BUHS Madrigals (jazz vocal group) \n     3:15  BUHS Jazz Band \n     4:00 pm:  Ekep Nkwelle clinic for student musicians and the general public \n     7:30 pm:  Ekep Nkwelle Quartet Concert (ticketed)
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/2024-2025-day-2-emerging-artist-festival-feat-ekep-nkwelle-quartet/
LOCATION:Vermont Jazz Center\, 72 Cotton Mill Hill\, Brattleboro\, VT\, 05301\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Untitled-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20240218T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20240218T183000
DTSTAMP:20260826T192322
CREATED:20230829T155637Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240215T210726Z
UID:10000088-1708272000-1708281000@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Makaya McCraven
DESCRIPTION:SUNDAY EVENT\, 4:00 pm \nSOLD OUT \nDrummer Makaya McCraven “has quietly become one of the best arguments for jazz’s vitality”  (New York Times).  His most recent album\, In These Times\, has been singled out as one of the best jazz albums by the New York Times\, Pitchfork\, Stereogum\, NPR and others. \nBorn in Paris and raised in the Amherst\, Massachusetts area\, McCraven grew up in a household where he was immersed in music. As a child he quickly took to drums\, the instrument of his father\, Stephen McCraven\, jazz drummer who was in the bands of Archie Shepp and Yusef Latif. He is also strongly influenced by the music of his mother\, a Hungarian singer and flutist\, who fused Eastern European folk melodies (many in odd meters) with the music that surrounded her in her new\, adopted homeland. In a recent documentary McCraven’s mother\, Agnes Zsigmondi\, is heard saying that one of the things that gave her the most joy in life was playing music with her (then) 13-year-old son and his friends. McCraven attended UMass Amherst as a music student and formed and recorded with a band called Cold Duck Complex. He later moved to Chicago\, where he joined Bobby Broom’s trio and became quickly recognized as a drummer capable of a performing at a high level in a wide variety of styles including jazz\, hip-hop\, folkloric music and rock. Now a mature musician\, McCraven has evolved into one of the most unique and influential voices of his generation. His records are grooving conceptual projects. For his first two albums he recorded\, sampled and remixed his own band\, much like what Teo Marcero and Miles Davis did on Bitches Brew\, creating organic soundscapes and rhythmical tapestries that defied previous conceptions. In 2020 he recreated the music of a famed release by Gil Scott Heron called I’m New Here respectfully combining Heron’s material with a twenty-first century sensibility. In 2021 he released a project for Blue Note Records called Deciphering the Message where he was given free-reign of their legendary catalogue to create beats. He used samples of masters like Cedar Walton and Art Blakey to seamlessly (and again respectfully) develop their material using his own creative directions.\n \nAt the Jazz Center\, McCraven will show up and surprise us with his magical-sounding offerings that combine acoustic jazz with electric beats\, straight-ahead tunes and spontaneous compositions. 
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/mccraven/
LOCATION:Vermont Jazz Center\, 72 Cotton Mill Hill\, Brattleboro\, VT\, 05301\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screen-Shot-2023-08-22-at-12.48.09-PM.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Halifax:20190505T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Halifax:20190505T190000
DTSTAMP:20260826T192322
CREATED:20190502T011841Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190502T011851Z
UID:10000026-1557068400-1557082800@vtjazz.org
SUMMARY:Spring Semester Student Showcase
DESCRIPTION:Nine Performing Ensembles to Highlight International Jazz Day at the Vermont Jazz Center \nThe Vermont Jazz Center honors International Jazz Day 2019 with a concert featuring students from nine VJC ensembles. On Sunday May 5th at 3:00 PM\, come enjoy the sounds of the Youth Jazz Ensemble\, the Soubrette Jazz Choir\, the Latin Jazz Ensemble\, Blue Note Ensemble\, Samba Troup\, two guitar ensembles\, the ’Ukelele Jazz Ensemble\, and the Vermont Jazz Center Sextet. The event will be held at the Vermont Jazz Center and each group will perform a 20-minute set. A suggested donations of $5 will go directly towards the VJC Educational Scholarship Fund which helps students to participate in these programs.  This event will be a “snack potluck;” if you feel inclined\, please bring an easy snack to share with your fellow jazz lovers. \nStudent Showcase Performance Schedule for May 5th at the Vermont Jazz Center \n3:00 – 3:20       Guitar Ensemble 1 \n3:25 – 3:45       Guitar Ensemble 2 \n3:50 – 4:10       Youth Jazz \n4:15 – 4:45       Latin Jazz \n4:50 – 5:10       Uke Jazz \n5:15 – 5:45       Soubrette Choir \n5:50 – 6:10       Blue Note Ensemble \n6:15 – 6:35       Samba Troupe \n6:40 – 7:00       VJC Sextet \nThe VJC Student Showcase will start off at 3:00 PM with back-to-back sets performed by Draa Hobbs’ two guitar ensembles. The overall goal of these ensembles has been to learn music from the bop and post-bop eras\, to improve listening skills\, and to form a cohesive blend when playing with others. Ensemble I will play “Bernie’s Tune” (Bernie Miller)\, “Little Sunflower” (Freddie Hubbard)\, “Blues in the Closet” (Oscar Pettiford)\, and “Triste” (Jobim). Ensemble 2 will play “Caravan” (Juan Tizol)\, “Do Nothin’ ‘till You Hear From Me” (Ellington)\, “Four” (Davis)\, and “Unit 7” (Sam Jones). \nAt 3:50 the VJC’s Youth Jazz Ensemble\, coached by Eugene Uman and Mike McKinney\, will perform “Cariba” (Wes Montgomery)\, “Milestones” (Miles Davis)\, “Killer Joe” (Benny Golson)\, and “Lady Bird” (Tadd Dameron). Performers include Naomi Hed (trumpet)\, Zach Thomas (trombone)\, Maia McNeill (clarinet)\, Alex Beshay (piano)\, Michael McKinney (bass) and Wycke Gangle on drums.  \nAt 4:15\, the 14 member Latin Jazz Ensemble will hit the ground running with performances of “Elena\, Elena”\, a piece that uses a Puerto Rican plena rhythm by Manny Oquendo (arr. Julian Gerstin)\, “A Felicidade\,” a bossa nova by Antonio Carlos Jobim (arr. Eugene Uman)\, a guajira composed and arranged by Gerstin called “La Casa Violeta\,” and “Nuevo Paradigma\,” a piece based on a bomba rhythm that was composed and arranged by Uman. \nAt 4:45\, the ‘Ukelele Jazz Ensemble will take the stage. This group\, under the direction of Ben Carr\, features Gail Nunziata\, Marcia Hanson\, Chris Andres\, Melissa Dawson\, Ron Kelley\, Steven Vannoy\, and Jenny Kilgore.  Their repertoire will include “Ain’t Misbehavin’” by Fats Waller\, “Four On Six” by Wes Montgomery\, “Pineapple Mango” by Daniel Ho\, “Equinox” by John Coltrane and “St. Thomas” by Sonny Rollins. \nAt 5:15\, The Soubrette Jazz Choir\, led by Anna Patton\, will present richly harmonized arrangements of swing\, jazz\, and blues numbers. They’ll be performing “Out to Breakfast” by Pete Sutherland\, “Room of my own” and “Long-Beard Wise” by Anna Patton\, “Dream” by Johnny Mercer and “Twisted” by Annie Ross and Wardell Gray. Instrumentalists joining the choir will be Anna Patton on tenor guitar\, Matthew Sharff on bass\, and Ron Kelley on the saxophone. They will perform two other times this spring. For more information about those events\, please contact the instructor directly at anna@annapatton.com. \nThe Blue Note Ensemble will slip through a creative portal at 5:50 under the direction of instructor and drummer Claire Arenius. This group will be stretching out on “Cape Verdean Blues”  (Horace Silver) and then three tunes often credited to Miles Davis (although each for each of these tunes\, the composer’s credits have been disputed): “Blue and Green\,” “Nardis\,” and “Freedom Jazz Dance.” The Blue Note Ensemble’s front line of tenor and alto saxophones plus guitar makes for a beautiful mix. Performers in this group include Ron Kelley and Louise Ewing (saxophones)\, Sky Borax (guitar)\, Judith Williams (piano)\, Charlie Gerard (bass)\, Henry Zachinni (drums). \nThe final ensemble scheduled to perform on May 5th will be by the VJC Sextet. This group is made up of area music professionals associated with the VJC who bring their tight arrangements to schools and assisted living communities. Their repertoire for Sunday afternoon will be four songs arranged by the group’s musical director\, Rob Freeberg: “Along Came Betty\,” (Benny Golson)\, “Out of the Night Came You\,” (Horace Silver)\, Sister Cheryl (Tony Williams); they will also play “Tell Me a Bedtime Story\,” (Herbie Hancock\, arr. by UVM student Matt Nemeth)\, and “Blues for All”  (Eric Alexander). The members of the VJC Sextet are Rob Freeberg\, trumpet; Bill Ballard\, alto saxophone; Jim Heffron\, tenor saxophone; Cathy Martin\, piano; Jay Elfenbein\, bass; Mike Patek\, drums. \nPlease join the VJC community for an afternoon/evening of live music on Sunday\, May 5th at 3:00 PM sharp. Your attendance supports aspiring and established musicians developing their repertoire\, groove skills and improvisational vocabularies. A $5.00 suggested donation is requested but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. To discuss or learn more about VJC educational opportunities please contact Eugene Uman at eugene@vtjazz.org
URL:https://vtjazz.org/calendar/spring-semester-student-showcase/
LOCATION:Vermont Jazz Center\, 72 Cotton Mill Hill\, Brattleboro\, VT\, 05301\, United States
CATEGORIES:Concert
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://vtjazz.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Trumpet-Photo-2017.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR