Jazz Residency Vocal Program

SJW Vocal Program in-depth
The Jazz Residency Vocal Program, led by Madeline Eastman, is designed to give vocalists the tools they need to combine their creativity with expertise they'll need to be successful jazz vocalists. Students will work both individually and in groups in a series of classes and activities which include the following:

• Theory: A daily theory class tailored specifically for vocalists is offered along with beginning, intermediate, and advanced jazz theory.
• Daily Specials: Daily presentations by world-class SJW faculty include: Latin rhythms and percussion, the business of music, creating your own book of charts, songwriting, improvising, stage presence, etc
• Lectures: Visiting national artists will speak to the vocal class about their experiences in jazz.
• Singing with a trio: Each day includes an opportunity to sing with a professional trio.
  Jam: Nightly jam sessions led by SJW faculty in Campbell Recital Hall
• Performance: There is an optional student performance at the end of the week, friends and family are encouraged to come.
• Shed with Fred: Each singer has an individual session with pianist Fred Harris.
  Masterclass: Each morning session we'll explore a variety of topics including:
  • Improvising
  • Writing your own simple charts
  • The Nuts & Bolts of singing
  • CD Listening
  • The biz of music
  • New ways to approach old tunes
  • How to communicate with the band
• Student Combo: All singers will get a chance to sing (one time only) in an all-student combo. There will be a book of arrangements in specific keys with horn parts for a selected number of tunes. Click here to see the list.

Note: Acceptance to the program is determined by audition tape or participation in the program since 2000. For more information about audition recordings, please click here.

About the Staff
"Eastman has joined a very exclusive club: modern jazz vocalists with something fresh to say. She's hip without pretensions, cool without alienation, she has it and warmth, a rare gift in jazz." - The Boston Herald

Madeline Eastman has been lauded for her original, "hip" take on the music prompting CD Review to write, "She doesn't tinker aimlessly, she reconstructs with purpose. She lays depth charges right from the beginning." Don Heckman of the LA Times called Madeline "a consummate, inventive, endlessly entertaining artist at work." Mad was also recognized as one of the "Top Female Vocalists" in the latest DownBeat Readers Poll. Eastman has recorded five CDs featuring such luminaries as Tony Williams, Cedar Walton, Phil Woods, and Kenny Barron. Barron also joined Madeline on a soon-to-be-released album they recorded with the famed 50-piece Metropole Orchestra under the direction of Vince Mendoza. She splits her time between touring and teaching. She developed and heads the Vocal Department at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and is Artistic Director for Jazzcamp West, Artist in Residence at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, sole vocal clinician for the Monterey Jazz Traveling Clinician Program and Artist in Residence for the Brubeck Jazz Colony.

Visit Madeline's web site. Email Madeline.

Pianist/vocalist Dena DeRose has it, all in one: a dynamic and innovative jazz pianist, a compelling and original singer, and a creative and sophisticated composer and arranger. Dena began playing the piano at the tender age of three and became an accomplished player by the time she was in her early twenties. She would drive hours on end from upstate New York to New York City to hear idols such as Hank Jones, Kenny Barron and Mulgrew Miller perform. Unexpected, but early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis forced her to stop playing. While she was recovering and wondering if she'd ever be able to play again, Dena discovered her ability to sing. Now she tours internationally, playing the worlds' great jazz festivals and clubs as well as teaching at three universities. DeRose releases her fifth CD, (her first on MAXJAZZ) with A Walk In The Park, which features a fantastic rhythm section of Martin Wind, bass; and Matt Wilson, drums. This extremely accomplished musician performs her inventive arrangements of standards and three memorable original compositions on this exciting new recording.

"DeRose is a major find. She both sings and plays piano like a million bucks." - DownBeat Magazine

Visit Dena's web site.