UF JAZZ FACULTY 2019 - 2020
Trumpeter Scott Wilson has established himself as one of the rising stars of jazz – both as a performer and as a pedagogue. Since earning two Masters degrees from the University of North Texas and paying his dues on concert stages from Orlando to Osaka, Scott is in constant demand as a player, composer and educator. He has served as Musical Director for Universal Studios Japan, staff composer for Grand Link World in Qingdao, China, and has been a featured trumpet soloist for Tokyo Disney Sea and Universal Studios Japan and Universal Studios Orlando. In addition to his dynamic live and recorded performances on trumpet, he is regarded as one of the world’s foremost proponents of the electronic valve instrument (EVI). Wilson has diverse international performance credits having shared the stage with jazz luminaries including Benny Green, Wayne Bergeron, Gordon Goodwin, Conrad Herwig, Wycliffe Gordon, Stevie Wonder, Jeff Coffin, Shelly Berg, Denis DeBlasio, Peter Erskine, Eric Marienthal, Bobby Shew, Slide Hampton, Terrell Stafford, Ron Blake, John Pizzarelli, Ed Shaughnessy, Alex Acuna, and others.
Wilson has hosted the Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Camp, four Juilliard Jazz Summer Workshops and served as faculty for the Jam Camps in Utah. In 2011, Warburton Mouthpieces released the Scott Wilson Jazz Mouthpiece that is designed to be a more supportive and functional mouthpiece for young trumpet players. His jazz texts, The Ultimate Jazz Tool Kit and Ultimate Music Workbook, are published by Kendall Hunt Publishing and accompanied by 35 Jazz Instructional Videos that cover topics ranging from jazz theory to song writing.
Wilson has consistently been at the forefront of designing online platforms for jazz education. His nationally published online platforms include Jazz Fundamentals 1, Jazz Fundamentals 2, Jazz Aural Skills and Jazz History. Through Kendall Hunt Publishing these courses can be adopted and delivered to colleges and public schools nationwide.
Scott Wilson heads the Jazz Studies program at the University of Florida and has developed a new Jazz Minor and designed six new jazz courses which allow students to receive current industry skill sets, technology training and learn creative approaches to problem solving.
CLYDE CONNOR (Jazz Adjunct Faculty)
Percussionist, composer and arranger, Clyde Connor earned his Master’s in Music Performance from the University of Florida in 2016 and now serves as adjunct professor in the UF Jazz studies department. Mr. Connor attended the University of North Texas and while there successfully auditioned into the U. S. Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble in Washington, D.C. In the Navy, Clyde was featured as a performing musician, composer and arranger, with many charts to his credit included in regular concert programming and recordings. Mr. Connor can be heard on numerous recordings as a session player at Omega Recording Studios in Rockville, Maryland, with the majority of work in conjunction with major music publishing companies including Barnhouse, Columbia, CP Beldwin and Warner Brothers. In addition, Clyde’s compositions and arrangements are being performed by university and professional groups worldwide. Artists Clyde Connor has performed with include Jeff Andrews, Louie Bellson (drum duet), Randy Brecker, Dave Brubeck, Pete Christlieb, Eddie Daniels, Curtis Fuller, Jon Faddis, Terry Gibbs, Don Grolnick, Milt Hinton, Steve Kahn, Dave Liebman, Brandon Marsalis, Don Menza, Claudio Roditi, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schurr, Doc Severinsen, Bobby Shew, Lou Soloff, Marvin Stamn, Clark Terry, Stanley Turentine, Chris Vadala, Ernie Watts, Joe Williams and Snooky Young.
CARLOS VIZOSO (Jazz Graduate Assistant)
Carlos Vizoso is currently a Jazz Graduate Assistant at The University of Florida and teaches Jazz Improvisation, Jazz Fundamentals and Jazz History. At the University of Florida he received the Jim Theriac Jazz Scholarship, has headlined the Hippodrome Jazz Series, performed with Grammy Artist Jose Valentino, percussionist Clyde Connor, and Director of Jazz Studies, Scott Wilson. He currently performs in the Central Florida area with several Billboard topping acts such as Adam Hawley, Four80East, Brian Simpson and others including George Porter Jr. and Moon Taxi.
At the University of South Alabama where he received his Bachelor's in Music Education, he was awarded the prestigious John W. Laidlaw scholarship, was lead alto in the Jazz Ensemble 1, co-principal alto saxophonist in the Wind Ensemble, and taught private lessons for students in the surrounding area.
In 2020, he will be releasing his first solo album and is currently focusing on commercial writing and the production of his textbook on Jazz Improvisation. Carlos Vizoso's influences include David Sanborn, Paquito D'Rivera, Cannonball Adderly, Eric Marienthal, and Gerald Albright.
BEN ELGAN (Jazz Graduate Assistant)
www.benelgantrumpet.com
Ben Elgan is a Doctoral Student at the University of Florida, pursuing a degree in Trumpet Performance. He has taught courses in Jazz Fundamentals, Jazz Improvisation, and Jazz History, and has instructed over a thousand students online for higher education. As a performer, he has played professionally across the musical spectrum from solo work to commercial music and classical performance. As a researcher, he has presented his ideas on mouthpiece design and its effects on perceived sound at institutions of higher learning and is currently working on a Cognate in Mechanical Design to further these ideas. His recent research into trumpet mouthpiece cups focuses on increasing performer utility, reinforcing harmonics, and improving the performer-instrument interface. He also premiered his original work at the International Trumpet Guild 2019 Conference in Miami, Florida and continues to output original arrangements and compositions to expand the body of available repertoire for classical and commercial musicians alike.
A crossover trumpeter, his professional performance credits include the performances with the Ocala Symphony and the Gainesville Orchestra, as well as in commercial groups such as Less Than Jake, Sooza Brass Band, Sister Hazel, the Andrew Theilen Big Band, Act of Congress, and Nationwide Coverage. He has also performed in conferences such as the Southeastern Conference Symposium, the International Trumpet Guild Conference, the National Trumpet Competition, and the Alabama Music Educator’s Association conference.
