"I grew up around jazz festivals and adjudication," says jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer, the featured guest artist at Western Michigan University's 44th Annual John Stites Jazz Festival this Saturday, Mar 7. "I kind of think of it more like coaching and trying to offer creative and constructive criticism."
Keezer joins Cara Lieurance and WMU Professor of Jazz Trumpet Scott Cowan to preview the festival, which culminates in a public concert Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. Tickets are available at wmich.edu/music/events.
Keezer brings a résumé spanning decades of work with jazz legends including Art Blakey, Ray Brown, Wayne Shorter, Christian McBride, and Sting. A prolific composer and arranger, he has written extensively for large ensembles including the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and his arrangements are featured on the program for Saturday night.
The festival itself is a full two-day event. On Saturday, 17 high school big bands and approximately 12 combos perform and receive adjudication and masterclasses from WMU faculty. Keezer will lead an hour-long masterclass for all student attendees before the evening concert.
Cowan also notes the festival carries special significance this year, as a tribute to the late Professor Trent Kynaston — the educator who founded WMU's jazz studies program and taught there for 39 years. "Who knows where we would be without him," Cowan says.
Keezer, who grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, says encounters with working jazz musicians at his hometown festival shaped his entire path. "I learned that jazz musicians are generally really nice people," he says. "It's about passing it on to the next generation and keeping the flow going."
