JAM Concert Series: Thomas Woytko Quartet

The JAM Concert Series is held during the month of April because April is Jazz Appreciation Month. Concerts are held twice a week at various venues around Duluth. One concert features a small jazz ensemble that will play a 50 min set and then a jam session commences where everyone is invited to play, especially students. The other concert consists of a local high school’s big band, followed by either a collegiate big band or a jazz combo, and then the night concludes with a local professional Big Band.

This festival is for the students with the mission of encouraging and exposing students to the diverse culture of jazz through listening and playing opportunities. Many great jazz musicians have said that they learned to play on the bandstand, and a developing musician is more likely to learn at an efficient pace and with depth of understanding when interacting with knowledgeable performers such as older musicians and more experienced peers. By participating in authentic musical experiences, it becomes like language development as students will learn to listen to, replicate, and mimic musical ideas through the JAM Concert Series.