Jazz Composer Offers Master Class to Rivers Musicians

Student musicians in two Rivers Conservatory ensembles, the honors big band and the jazz ensemble, were treated to a master class run by renowned jazz musician and composer Dr. Felipe Salles.
 
Felipe is  the commissioned composer for the 2019 Rivers Jazz Festival, and he spent his time with the students discussing the compositional concepts he used in creating "The Lullaby Project," a large jazz ensemble piece inspired by Brazilian lullabies. He also led the students in a rigorous practice of a Salles arrangement of Naïma, a piece originally composed by John Coltrane.

A native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Salles is a 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient and an associate professor of jazz and African-American music studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

“It was a real treat for the students to be able to spend such quality time with a musician and composer of his talent,” said Rivers Music Instructor Phillippe Crettien, who pitched in during the practice session to play saxophone. “Professor Salles lectured for over two hours without break, engaging our students to the fullest. It was amazing to see the level of engagement he achieved with the students.”

Salles thoroughly enjoyed the experience himself, saying, “It was a very inspiring afternoon with bright, young talents.”

To view a photo gallery and a short snippet of video from his class with the big band, visit the Rivers SmugMug website at https://theriversschool.smugmug.com/Student-Life/Big-Band-Master-Class.

To learn more about Salles and “The Lullaby Project,” visit his website at www.sallesjazz.com and his YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/6bqv7XC46vY.


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