School of Music - Jazz Studies
The NAU Jazz Studies program includes three big bands, four combos, four sections of jazz improvisation, six sections of jazz history, jazz pedagogy for music educators, and jazz arranging. Jazz Ensemble I took first place honors at the Western States Jazz Festival in 1989 and 1990. As a result of these wins, the band accepted an invitation to perform at the 1990 Playboy Jazz Festival. The band was also the first place winner in the four-year college category in both 1994 and 1996 at the Fullerton College Jazz Festival. Jazz ensemble I was awarded four outstanding performance awards at the 1991 Notre Dame Jazz Festival. In 1997, the band took away nine more outstanding performance awards from the Notre Dame festival.
Jazz Ensemble I has recorded three compact discs. The first, Year of the Cow, released in 1993 on Walrus Records, was one of only two college band recordings awarded a 5-star rating in Down Beat magazine that year. The second, Herding Cats was released in 1994 on Sea Breeze/Vista Records. The latest release, The Vintage Year, a 1996 Sea Breeze/Vista Records release, received a 4-star Down Beat review.
As the new Director of Jazz Studies at NAU, Joel brings 25 years of live performance, studio and recording experience to the NAU Jazz Studies Program. After a stint with the Army Field Band in Baltimore, Mr. DiBartolo played with Chuck Mangione, Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson. Moving to Los Angeles, he played and recorded with Don Ellis, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan. Joel was the bassist on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson for 18 years as a member of the Doc Severinsen Band. During that time he also played with Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, John Abercrombie, Russ Ferrante, the Bob Florence Band, and the Bill Holman Band. Mr. DiBartolo's book, Serious Electric Bass was published by Warner Bros. in 1997 and is now in its second printing.
Join us for the 2008 NAU Jazz Festival!