The Skidmore Jazz Institute

It can be life-changing.

In 1997, I received a call from the folks at the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY, where the great bassist and role model Milt “The Judge” Hinton was a charter faculty member. As Milt was only available for one of the two weeks that year, he recommended that I replace him for the second week. Of course, he was irreplaceable, but I was able to fill in.

The following summer, Skidmore called to see if I would be interested and available to “shadow” Milt for the entire two weeks, possibly assisting with some of his teaching duties. By that time, he was in his mid-to-late eighties and had slowed down somewhat. I leaped at the chance to rub shoulders with one of my idols for two weeks. It was a delightful experience on both an instructional and a human level. Milt was universally adored, and the students would follow him around like a flock of newborn geese. After all, he was living jazz history.

After that year, Milt “retired” from the position, and I took over the reins. I have been there ever since and am now sitting in front of my room in the graduate housing on the Skidmore College campus, where the event takes place.

The diarist working in front of his temporary residence on campus.

Now in its thirty-seventh year, The Institute has gained an international reputation for excellence and attracts students from all over the United States and overseas. Several of the students we have served over the years have become full-time jazz musicians who have risen to critical acclaim. Folks like Jonathan Batiste, Walter Smith III, Julius Rodriguez, Trombone Shorty, Kendrick Scott, and many others passed through our program during their formative high school years.

Students attend the annual Freihofer Jazz Festival, have full days of combo rehearsals, private instruction, and masterclasses, and have the opportunity to hear high-caliber guest artists and faculty perform. As well as presenting two public performances of their own, they also perform at the fabled Café Lena in town.

The combo I coached in week one. An exemplary group of talented students and outstanding citizens.

On the micro level, students engage in intensive jazz training and performance in all its manifestations. Perhaps more importantly, on the macro level, they learn a skill set that is unrivaled in any other academic discipline.

It is as if a closed door opens slightly, and they peer through the crack, which begins to reveal life lessons that will hopefully guide them to a fulfilling outcome, regardless of their life’s trajectory.

For several years prior to joining the Institute, I served on the faculty of various summer jazz programs in the United States and abroad. Although many had much to offer, I found that Skidmore was the best organized administratively, providing the ideal environment for both faculty and students and maximizing productivity. Soon after I joined the faculty and, for a period, directed the program, I decided to limit my teaching to these two weeks during the summer months. This allows me to have a laser focus on the students, with plenty of energy to offer them my very best. It is a rewarding experience, to say the least.

Much credit must be given to the program’s founder, Don McCormack, the current Director, Brian Carucci, and his staff, as well as the Director of Institutes and Camps, Maria McColl, and Senior Program Coordinator, Coleen Stephenson, for their tireless efforts that have made the Skidmore Jazz Institute the industry-leading program it is today.

Last but not least, I must acknowledge those individuals on our impressive faculty. That is where the rubber meets the road—world-class and internationally acclaimed performers and educators of the highest caliber.

Faculty, week one, L to R: Dave Stryker, guitar; Dennis Mackrel, drums; Bill Cunliffe, piano; Jimmy Greene, tenor saxophone; Todd Coolman, bass; Clay Jenkins, trumpet; and Steve Davis, trombone. Along with all of those mentioned above, a family of sorts has coalesced, and the Skidmore Jazz Institute has become our summer home.

TC