MSU Professors of Jazz

The MSU Professors of Jazz are members of the jazz faculty at MSU’s College of Music. The group was established in 2000 to facilitate outreach and recruitment.

Since its inception, the group has completed residencies at the Detroit Symphony Hall, the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, and the Arts League of Michigan Jazz at the Center. Through these residencies, the group has performed and presented concerts with several notable international jazz artists, including Vanessa Rubin, Buster Williams, Jon Faddis, Jon Carl Hendricks, Jimmy Cobb, Wycliffe Gordon, Joe Temperley, Walter Blanding, Andre Hayward, Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Reed, Wessell “Warmdaddy” Anderson, Wynton Marsalis, Ali Jackson, Maya Orr, Marcus Belgrave, Donald Walden, Marcus Printup, Gerald Wilson Big Band, and Ingrid Jensen. In addition, the group performed as the opening act for Kenny Garrett at Detroit Symphony Hall.

This “hard-bop” band has now expanded to an eight-piece ensemble featuring Wessell Anderson (alto saxophone), Vincent Chandler (trombone), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Randy Gelispie (drums), Diego Rivera (tenor saxophone), Rick Roe (piano), Rodney Whitaker (bass and artistic director), and Sunny Wilkinson (voice). It continues to perform music from the jazz canon, including standards, jazz classics, and original compositions. Members of the Professors of Jazz perform internationally, nationally, and locally to support Michigan jazz presenters and educators. The group’s artistic director, Rodney Whitaker, is director of jazz studies at Michigan State University.

The group offers:

• Concerts for young people, produced by the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts “Jazz Kats”
• Concerts/workshops with continuing outreach and recruitment
• Master classes
• Lecture demonstrations

The group accepts performance opportunities for:

• Jazz festivals
• Jazz concert series
• Jazz residencies
• Jazz clubs

For more information about the Professors of Jazz, contact Jazz Studies (517) 432-6449 or e-mail jazz@msu.edu.

Left to right above: Randy Gelispie, Rick Roe, Rodney Whitaker, Diego Rivera, and Joe Gloss performing at WKAR studio.

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