Oberlin Jazz Septet

2008-09 Oberlin Jazz Septet

Members of the 2008-09 OJS. Top Row (L to R): Corey Wilcox, David Wise; Bottom Row (L to R): Alex Morris, Kevin Kearney, Truan Savage, Andrew Lawrence, and Jamey Arent. Photo by Rachel Cotterman.

Formed annually, the Oberlin Jazz Septet (OJS) is a small jazz ensemble made up of students nominated by the Jazz Studies faculty. Directed by Peter Dominguez, Professor of Jazz Studies and Double Bass, OJS represents the most outstanding jazz student performers, arrangers, and composers enrolled in the Conservatory and College. In past years the OJS has been featured at the Detroit, Elmhurst, and Notre Dame jazz festivals, at performance venues in Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, New York City, and Aspen, as well as at many high schools and arts programs throughout the United States.

Member Bios

Jamey Arent is a guitarist influenced by the greats of jazz, blues, funk, and R&B. The Denver, Colorado native began playing at age 12, with inspiration from The Beatles, and became interested in blues and jazz soon after. He was inducted into the 2004 and 2005 Colorado All-State Jazz Band. Jamey was the co-winner of the 2005 Downbeat Magazine Student Award for best Blues/Pop/Rock soloist. Additionally, he was featured in Mike Varney's Spotlight in the November 2005 issue of Guitar Player Magazine. He has studied guitar with Mitch Chmara and Wayne Sturdy and studied jazz with Eric Gunnison, Steve Holley, Robin Eubanks, Marcus Belgrave, Peter Dominguez, Wendell Logan, Paul Samuels, and Dan Wall. He now studies guitar with Bobby Ferrazza, Associate Professor of Jazz Guitar at Oberlin Conservatory.

Pittsburgh area bassist Kevin Kearney began studying music at the age of 10. Since then, Kevin has immersed himself in a wide variety of musical idioms. Currently a student of Professor of Jazz Studies and Double Bass Peter Dominguez, Kevin is actively pursuing his passions for jazz, orchestral, and R&B/Soul music at the highest possible level. Kevin counts musicians such as Ray Brown, Paul McCartney, Miles Davis, Dwayne Dolphin, and the late hip-hop producer J Dilla among his biggest influences.

Andrew Lawrence, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, started studying classical piano shortly before his fifth birthday. Andrew began playing jazz as a member of the Lincoln Park Jazz Band and the Gallery 37 Jazz Band. In his sophomore year, he was selected as a Ravinia Jazz Scholar and for three years he had the opportunity to work with such world-class mentors as Willie Pickens, Tito Carrillo, Ernie Adams, and Bobby Broom. Andrew has performed at such notable venues as the Ravinia Music Festival, where he twice opened for Ramsey Lewis, and the Iowa City Jazz Fest with the South Shore Youth Jazz Ensemble. He is currently a senior at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where he plays in many ensembles, teaches private piano lessons, and studies with Associate Professor of Jazz Piano Dan Wall and Professor of Piano Sanford Margolis.

Alex Edward Morris, now in his junior year at Oberlin, began playing drums at the age of 11. Born in the small town of Prescott, Arizona, he fought for any opportunity to pursue the music that he loves. After playing at the Sedona Jazz on the Rocks festival in 2003 and 2004, and receiving guidance and support from luminaries such as T.S. Monk and the unsung master Mel Zelnick, he decided to study music at the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California. Alex ascended to the top of the percussion studio of both the jazz and classical departments, studying under the acclaimed conductors Ransom Wilson, Denis Segond, and Peter Askim, as well as the celebrated American musicians Joe La Barbara and Marshall Hawkins. In 2006, he made the decision to focus on drumset under the guidance of Associate Professor of Jazz Percussion Billy Hart, with whom he will continue his studies for the next two years. Most recently, Alex was a recipient of the Conservatory Initiative Grant Supporting Imagination and Excellence from Oberlin's new Creativity & Leadership project.

Truan Savage was born in Chappaqua, New York. He began studying piano at an early age and took up the trumpet when he moved to Bellevue, Washington, several years later. There, he began studying trumpet in earnest and played euphonium in school bands, which continued into high school when he moved to London, England. While in England, Truan began playing guitar, bass, and drums in student rock and funk bands and played in the International Honor Youth Jazz Band on trumpet. In his junior year of high school, Truan moved to New York City, where he became more seriously focused on jazz trumpet and electric bass. In New York, Truan began to study with Joe Magnarelli. He also had the pleasure of playing with such artists as Steve Wilson, Lenny Pickett, Michael Wolff, and Pete Yellin. Now a fifth-year, double-degree student majoring in politics and jazz performance at Oberlin, Truan studies trumpet with Marcus Belgrave, Visiting Professor of Jazz Trumpet.

Corey Wilcox, from Jacksonville, Florida, began his trombone studies at the age of 13. While attending the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, he participated in the Tampa, Florida Festival of Winds in Symphonic Band and performed in the All-State Jazz Band for three years. He received the prestigious Essentially Ellington Award from Jazz at Lincoln Center and subsequently participated in a workshop with distinguished jazz musician Wynton Marsalis. Corey is currently a sophomore at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studies with Associate Professor of Jazz Trombone Robin Eubanks.

Tenor saxophonist David Wise, from Richmond, Virginia via Winston Salem, North Carolina, studied classical flute for six years and began studying saxophone as a high school sophomore. During high school, David played in the Greater Richmond High School Jazz Band for two years and attended Jazz in July at the University of Massachusetts. He also participated in the Eastman School of Music Summer Jazz program. David’s previous teachers include saxophonists Tim Berne and Tony Malaby, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassists Ben Street and Mark Helias, and drummer Jim Black at the School for Improvised Music in Brooklyn, New York. He has performed with such jazz greats as bassist Bill Lee, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and saxophonist Al Waters. David made his recording debut in January 2007 on Trio Alex's album The Alex Trio featuring David Wise, also featuring Oberlin students Alex Cohen, Alex Frank, and fellow 2008-09 Oberlin Jazz Septet member Alex Morris. David is currently a junior double-degree student at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where he studies with Visiting Professor of Jazz Saxophone Gary Bartz.

Emily Lawyer is the manager of the 2008-2009 Oberlin Jazz Septet. She is a senior classical trumpet major at the Oberlin Conservatory sturying with Associate Professor of Trumpet Roy Poper. In 2005-2006, Emily performed Stravinsky's Petrouchka and Sibelius' Second Symphony with the Oberlin Orchestra under the baton of Bridget Reischl. An active chamber musician, Emily has been a first trumpet player of brass quintets including the Ewald Quintets and the Bozza Sonatine. In 2007 she spent a semester abroad in London, where she studied with Anne McAneney, sub-principal of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Emily is currently a member of the Oberlin Wind Ensemble. In addition to her Conservatory studies, Emily is also persuing a degree in pure mathematics from Oberlin College.