Learn the art of playing in small jazz ensembles
July 14-18, 2025
Eugene, Oregon
About the Oregon
Jazz Workshop
The Oregon Jazz Workshop is for instrumentalists who want to play in small jazz ensembles. Portland and Eugene-based professional jazz musicians will coach and provide instruction during this week-long learning experience. Through musical training, the Oregon Jazz Workshop promotes community-wide resilience.
Who can attend the Oregon Jazz Workshop?
The Oregon Jazz Workshop is open to all woodwind, brass, piano, guitar, bass (upright or electric), and drum set players, ages 11 through adult: we welcome middle school, high school, and college students, as well as adult players.
A recorded audition is required for admittance, as well as submission of the OJW application form (with parental permission, if under 18). This audition will determine ensemble placement.
Drum set players must be able to provide their own equipment, and bassists and guitarists must be able to provide their own amps. Vibraphonists must be able to provide their own instruments.
Proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all participants, no later than August 1st (medical exemptions considered).
What does the Oregon Jazz Workshop offer?
The core of the Oregon Jazz Workshop experience is participation in small jazz ensembles, coached by some of the region’s finest professional players and educators.
In addition, the workshop will include:
Theory/ear training/guided listening
Master classes
Daily faculty performances
A small ensemble final concert
The Oregon Jazz Workshop will be held at Lane Community College Performing Arts Building (Building 6) at 4000 E. 30th Ave.
Schedule
MONDAY: 7/22
9-9:30 Orientation
9:30-11 Small Jazz Ensemble rehearsals
11-12 Master Class
12-1 Lunch
1-2 Sectional
2-3 Jam session/theory
3-4 Small Jazz Ensemble rehearsals
4:00-5:00 Faculty Jazz Combo Performance
TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY: 7/23, 7/24 & 7/25
9-10:30 Small Jazz Ensemble rehearsals
10:30-11:30 Master Class
11:30-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:30 Sectionals
1:30-2:30 Jam session/theory
2:30-4:00 Small Jazz Ensemble rehearsals
4:00-5:00 Faculty Jazz Combo Performance
FRIDAY: 7/26
9-10 *Optional* Jam Session
10:00-11:30 Small Jazz Ensemble rehearsals
11:30-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:30 Sectionals
1:30-3 Panel Discussion
3-4:30 Small Jazz Ensemble rehearsals
4:30-5:30 Break; meal for workshop participants, provided by OJW
5:30 Final Concert
Application and audition
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. The final application deadline is July 15. Applicants will be notified of their status within one week of submission.
1) Click on the “apply now” button to submit your application form.
2) Submit your recorded audition materials. (Scroll down to “Audition Requirements” for details.) To submit your audition, upload the file(s) to Google Drive with your name in the file. Once you’ve uploaded it, share the file with “oregonjazzworkshop@gmail.com”.
Audition Requirements
All applicants must submit a recorded audition to be accepted into the Oregon Jazz Workshop and placed into small groups. These are meant to be stress-free. We look forward to hearing you!
For ease, we recommend making your recording with a smartphone, set in vertical format.
The required audition material is a concert F Blues. If you don’t know an F Blues melody, find the image of “Take the Coltrane” in the correct key for your instrument at the bottom of this section.
Horn players: First state a melody 2 times, then solo over the form for at least 2 choruses. Use this backing track to play along with:
Comping Instruments (Piano/Guitar/Vibraphone): State the melody to an F Blues 2 times, then comp 2 choruses. After this, solo for at least 2 choruses. Use this backing track to play along with:
Bass players: Walk two choruses over an F Blues. Soloing after walking is optional. Use this backing track to play along with:
Drummers: Play time over an F Blues. Optional to send in any additional material with different grooves.
In addition to the F Blues, you may also submit any other supplemental material you’d like (transcription, recording from a past performance, etc.) This is optional.
To submit your audition, upload the file(s) to Google Drive with your name in the file. Once you’ve uploaded it, share the file with “oregonjazzworkshop@gmail.com”.
Auditions are due by July 15th. Applicants will be notified of their status within two weeks of submitting their audition.
If you don’t know an F Blues melody, learn and record ‘Take the Coltrane’. Select your key from the images listed below. Click and drag the image to your desktop.
Faculty
The 2024 Oregon Jazz Workshop’s core faculty are listed below.
Master class clinicians, sectional coaches, and additional core faculty will be added as enrollment allows.
Please check back for updates for the 2023 workshop.
JOE MANIS, Director
Originally from Dexter, Oregon, SteepleChase recording artist Joe Manis was the recipient of a 2013 Oregon Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. Recent Joe Manis Trio appearances include Fat Cat NYC, the Shedd Institute’s jazz series, Jimmy Mak's, Tula's, the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, and the Montavilla Jazz Festival. Manis has performed on NPR's Jazz Night in America, hosted by Christian McBride.
Manis has toured Europe as a duo and in a trio with David Friesen, where they recorded Structures, a live album. He also appears on Risky Notion (Four stars & Best Albums of 2015, DownBeat Magazine) on Origin Records with George Colligan's Theoretical Planets. Manis has played with Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited, including a performance at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and appears on their album Rise Up! on Real World Records. He has also performed with the George Colligan Quartet, the Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra, the Ken Schaphorst Big Band, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Johnny Mathis, the Temptations, comedian Bob Newhart, Wayne Newton, the Oregon Symphony with Gladys Knight, the Portland Opera, the Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra, the Eugene Symphony, and the Eugene Opera.
Manis has presented jazz masterclasses across the country, including at University of Nevada, Reno, Whitman College, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Oregon, Ferris State University, Central Washington University, Willamette University, Portland State University, Southern Oregon University, Oregon State University, Western Oregon University, Pacific University, Lower Columbia College and Mesa, Glendale, Portland, Spokane Falls, Mt. Hood, Clackamas and Lane Community Colleges. He received a Master of Music in Jazz Studies-Performance with Academic Honor from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Oregon. Additional studies were at the Eastman School of Music. He is a current faculty member at the University of Oregon and Lane Community College and a former music faculty member at Portland State University and Umpqua Community College. His article "Rhythmic Analysis: Jeff 'Tain' Watts - 'Housed From Edward'" was published in the March 2012 edition of JAZZed Magazine.
WES GEORGIEV, Assistant Director
Wes Georgiev is a pianist, composer, and educator based in Portland, Oregon. Growing up in a multicultural and musical household, Wes began playing music at a very young age. He began by learning the rhythms and tones of Bulgarian folk music by ear with the guidance of his dad, a formerly touring professional accordionist from Sofia, Bulgaria. Wes’ mom is also a lifelong musician who has held symphony positions as a cellist, and choral positions as an alto. Wes began 9 years of classical piano study at the age of 4 and transitioned to learning the Black American Music idiom known as jazz at age 12. Wes is in-demand throughout the Pacific Northwest as a sideman and band leader. You can hear him at venues such as the 1905, The Jazz Station, Jo Bar, Vino Veritas, Jack London Revue, Clyde's Prime Rib, Wilfs, and others. Wes has performed and/or recorded with George Colligan, Alan Jones, Rob Scheps, Chuck Israels, Lucas Pino, Sasha Berliner, Dayna Stephens, Chris Higgins, John Stowell, Domo Branch, Nicole McCabe, Todd Strait, Paul Gabrielson, Joe Manis, and Logan Kane among others. In 2022, Wes earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance from Portland State University, where he studied under renowned multi-instrumentalist George Colligan. During this time, he also studied with veteran drummer and composer Alan Jones at the Alan Jones Academy of Music, whom he continues to study with privately. As a composer and musical person, Wes is readily inspired by natural themes and the human condition, and seeks to envision a mentally and physically sustainable reality and future for those around him. Wes frequently composes, and does so in a variety of styles for varying instrumentations and ensemble sizes. In 2021, Wes was commissioned by the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble to write an original composition for large ensemble which featured his mentor, George Colligan. Wes’ debut record will be released in 2023. Outside of performing, Wes maintains a busy teaching schedule. He teaches jazz band at Milwaukie High School, is on faculty at the Alan Jones Academy of Music, and is the assistant director and a co-founder of the Oregon Jazz Workshop, a summer small group jazz improvisation intensive in Eugene, Oregon. Wes also runs a private in-person and online teaching studio, and is always welcoming new students of any level.
GEORGE COLLIGAN
George Colligan is a New York based pianist, organist,drummer, trumpeter, teacher, and bandleader, who is one of the most original and compelling jazz artists of his generation. An award-winning composer (Chamber Music America/Doris Duke Foundation grant recipient, RACC Grant Winner) and player (winner, Jazzconnect.com Jazz Competition, DownBeat Critics Poll Winner), Colligan is highly in demand as a sideman, having worked with players like Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, Cassandra Wilson, Ravi Coltrane, and many others, both on the bandstand and in recording sessions (appearing on over 150 CDs). He has released 31 recordings full of his intelligent writing and impressive technique. His latest CD on the Ubuntu Label is called”Live in Arklow” and features Darren Beckett and Dave Redmond. Colligan’s musical style incorporates everything from showtunes to funk, from free improvisation to 20th century classical music. His performances include dazzling technique as well as mature restraint. Colligan was on the faculty of the Juilliard School for two years and is currently an Assistant Professor at Portland State University. He is currently a member of Jack DeJohnette’s New Quintet.
KERRY POLITZER
Kerry Politzer is a Portland-based jazz pianist, composer, and educator. Since 2013, she has served on the music faculty at Portland State University, and since January 2020, she has also been on the faculty at University of Portland. Kerry received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Piano from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied improvisation and composition with the late jazz guru Charlie Banacos. She continues to be inspired by his teachings.
Kerry lived in New York for many years, during which time she performed at Smalls and toured with DIVA No Man’s Band. DIVA performances included appearances at the Blue Note and on the QE2 with Dianne Schuur and Slide Hampton, and a quartet performance with Larry Coryell. In 1996, Kerry was one of six finalists in the American Pianists Association’s 3rd Biennial Jazz Piano Competition. Her composition Rhodes Rage won Third Prize, Jazz Category in the 2005 International Songwriting Competition. Another tune, Begin The Baiao, won Third Prize, Jazz Category in the 2000 Mid-Atlantic Song Competition and an Honorable Mention in the 2000 John Lennon Songwriting Competition.
Kerry has released six jazz CDs as a leader, including Blue in Blue, which featured saxophonist Donny McCaslin and was termed a “first-rate jazz outing” by AllAboutJazz.com. The pianist has also been a featured sideman on albums of George Colligan, Laura Dreyer, and the Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble. Kerry’s 2005 CD Labyrinth was a finalist for Best Jazz Album in the 2007 Independent Music Awards. The title track from her first album, Yearning, was featured on Sax And The City: Musical Contributions From New York’s Best Women Jazz Instrumentalists (Apria Records, 2004). Kerry’s subsequent release, Below the Surface (2014), was released by PJCE Records.
ROGER WOODS
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Roger Woods is a graduate of Howard University. After college he continued to live in Washington, D.C. and perform as a leader and sideman with people such as trumpeter Webster Young, drummer Winard Harper and many more. He spent the summer of 1982 playing alto saxophone, clarinet & flute in the New York City-based Charli Persip Big Band. That band featured a host of veteran jazz musicians, including saxophonist Bill Saxton (who recommended Woods to Persip) and tuba player Ray Draper. Woods also toured the U.S. with organist Jimmy McGriff Quartet from 1983 to 1985. Currently, he is the founder and primary composer/arranger of the Eugene-based group The Octet, a Jazz ensemble comprised of the city’s best Jazz musicians and the Eugene-based Jessica Smith/Roger Woods Big Band. Woods is also a regular member of the Portland-based Chuck Israels Jazz Orchestra as its baritone saxophonist and bass clarinetist.
CHARLIE DOGGETT
Charlie Doggett began violin lessons at the age of eight and later switched to the drum set. As a teenager he played in Rock and Pop cover bands earning his first paid gig at the age of 15 and later received formal instruction, through scholarship, at the University of Oregon, School of Music and Dance. He has been a contributing member of the Portland music scene for over two decades performing regionally as well as throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. He is a longstanding member of “Upper Left Trio”, David Friesen's “Circle 3 Trio”, Tim Willcox's “Superjazzers” and others. Doggett has had the privilege of performing and or recording with artists including Dave Frishberg, John Gross, Pancho Sanchez, Obo Addy, Nancy King, Esperanza Spalding, Damian Erskine, Ethan Iverson, Joe Manis, George Colligan, Randy Porter, Titos Sompa, and many others. He maintains an active teaching schedule as adjunct faculty instructor at Lewis & Clark College, and Clackamas Community College. “Doggett, a drummer of imagination and curiosity, propels each tune with cunningness and unrelenting swing.” -John Barron/All About Jazz.com
TYLER ABBOTT
Tyler Abbott maintains an active performance schedule as an orchestral bassist, chamber musician, jazz bassist, clinician, and soloist, performing throughout the region and nation with some of the finest musicians in both the classical and jazz music worlds. He has performed with, or is a member of, the Eugene Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival, Orchestra Next, Spokane Symphony Orchestra, McCall Summerfest Orchestra, and other professional orchestras throughout the region and country. As a jazz bassist, he has performed with Branford Marsalis, Steve Wilson, Danilo Perez, Ken Peplowski, Ben Monder, Randy Porter, Roswell Rudd, Seamus Blake, Dave Pietro, Ted Rosenthal, Nancy King, Mark and Alan Ferber, Dick Hyman, Howard Levy, John Stowell, and many others. As a chamber musician, Tyler performs with Chamber Music Northwest, MarshAnne Chamber Players, Beta Collide, and has performed with Oregon String Quartet, Third Angle, Chamber Music Amici, Trio Pacifica, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. Tyler frequently presents master classes regionally, nationally and internationally and presented at the International Society of Bassists Conventions in 2011 and 2015. He can be heard on recordings on Origin, OA2, Ninjazz, and Bridge record labels. Tyler currently teaches double bass, jazz bass, and music theory at University of Oregon.
CHRIS SHUTTLEWORTH
Chris Shuttleworth is a low brass artist, composer, bandleader, and educator in the Portland and Chicago Areas. Originally from Eugene, Oregon, Chris Shuttleworth moved to Chicago to pursue a Jazz Studies degree at the prestigious DePaul University School of Music, where he studied under a number of staples of the Chicago music scene, including Dennis Carroll, Mark Fisher, and Charles Vernon. He has shared the stage with many diverse acts ranging from jazz heavyweights such as Wycliffe Gordon, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Randy Brecker, Ken Peplowski, Greg Ward, and Dana Hall, to pop acts including Beats Antique, Hellogoodbye, The Temptations, and The Four Tops. He has also toured extensively as a leader and a sideman, having performed in the majority of the United States as well as internationally as far as Shanghai. A passionate educator, Chris has worked with students and ensembles at Lane Technical High School, South Eugene High School, Willamette High School, DePaul University, and the University of Oregon. He currently maintains a studio of private students. Chris continues to perform as a leader around the United States as well as maintaining a schedule as an in-demand sideman in Chicago and Portland. You can find more information including recordings and performance dates at https://www.chrisshuttleworthmusic.com/
Tuition and payment policies
Tuition
Tuition: $395
No housing is provided; the workshop is a day camp experience. OJW will not provide lunches.
Payment Deadlines
Application fee is due in conjunction with submission of application and audition materials.
July 14, 2024: tuition payment due in full
Refund Policy
The $25 application fee is non-refundable.
Other refunds of any amount will be made at the discretion of the Director.
Please note that OJW must meet minimum enrollment or it is subject to cancellation with full refunds.
If we are forced to cancel due to COVID-19, forest fires, or any other emergency, we will issue complete refunds (including the $25 application fee).
Feel free to contact us with any questions: oregonjazzworkshop@gmail.com.
Our goal is to provide participants the most fun and enriching musical experience possible while remaining in compliance with OHA and CDC guidelines for educational programs.
Please carefully read the following policies, as well as the photo/video release and code of conduct that follow: by signing electronic agreement through the link provided on your orientation letter the week prior to camp, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to abide by these policies.
COVID-19 policies
Please note: the policies below reflect our procedures for the 2021 workshop. Stay tuned for health and safety protocols for 2022. We’ll be updating expectations as the camp approaches in response to local conditions and the guidance of public health authorities. (Vaccination requirements will remain the same; masking requirements may shift.)
Vaccination requirement for participants: all program participants are required to show proof of vaccination at check-in on Monday, August 1.
Vaccination requirement for attending indoor events: all those who enter the facility to attend events (daily faculty concerts, final concert) will be asked to provide proof of vaccination.
Mask requirement for participants: As of August 2, in accordance with CDC guidance, all program participants must wear masks when indoors. Participants who already own instrument-specific face masks and masks for instrument bells should bring them; those who need masks will have them provided by OJW. Please inform OJW either way.
Mask requirement for drop-off/pick-up and event attendance: all those who enter the facility for concert attendance or drop-off/pick-up will be required to wear a mask.
Health Screening Questions for Program Participants: Program participants will be asked to answer the following health-related questions at program check-in. For participants under 18, parents/guardians are encouraged to pre-screen at home. See Exclusion from Programs on pages for an explanation of what will happen if someone answers yes to either of these questions or has other symptoms of illness.
Are you or anyone in your household a close contact of an individual with COVID-19 (or a presumptive case of COVID-19) or anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 within the past 14 days?Note: A “presumptive case” means the person was exposed to someone with COVID-19 and the presumptive individual showed symptoms in the past 10 days. An “exposure” is defined as an individual who has close contact (less than six feet) for longer than 15 minutes (in a 24 hour period) with a COVID-19 case that is infectious. “Infectious” means from two days before until ten days after their symptoms started (or when they showed symptoms if they were never tested).
Are you or anyone in your household experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms — a new loss of taste or smell, an unusual cough, shortness of breath, a fever (100.4°F or higher) and chills, or difficulty breathing? “Unusual cough” means something not normal for you. Note: anyone entering the building with any of the following symptoms will also not be admitted to their program or permitted to attend a concert: headache, sore throat, rash, vomiting, pink eye, or diarrhea.
Health Screening for Oregon Jazz Workshop Staff Members/Volunteers: Staff and volunteers will self-screen and attest to their own health on a daily basis.
Program Visitors: Non-Oregon Jazz Workshop staff/volunteer visitors to our programs will be limited. All those who enter the building for an event will be asked to provide proof of vaccination and to wear a mask. Critical service providers, such as medical/emergency personnel and others essential for safe and effective operations of our programs, will be allowed.
2 — RECORD KEEPING AND CONTACT TRACING
Daily Program Log: OJW will keep a written daily log that includes the information below. This information will support COVID-19 contact tracing by local health authorities (if necessary) and will be maintained for a minimum two years (for participants under the age of 18) after the program ends.
Participant’s name
Arrival/departure time
Adult’s signature at drop-off/pick-up, for those under 18
Emergency contact information
Daily pass/fail health check records for program participants/staff/volunteers/visitors
Program Participant/Staff/Volunteer Exclusion Records: Written records will be kept by program administrative staff regarding any program participants/volunteers/staff who go home sick/have symptoms of illness – and how this situation is addressed.
Photo/video/media release
Participants in the Oregon Jazz Workshop agree to the program’s unlimited use of their image in photos, videos and other media. Participants wishing to be exempted from this agreement must notify OJW in writing prior to start of camp.
Participant Code of Conduct
Participants in the Oregon Jazz Workshop agree to abide by the following rules/code of conduct:
• I will communicate with respect with fellow participants, OJW faculty, and OJW staff.
• I will work to create a supportive learning and performance atmosphere, take musical risks, and graciously accept feedback.
• I will not use alcohol or recreational drugs of any kind.
For safety and COVID-19 reasons:
• I will arrive at camp check-in with all needed equipment, food, and supplies, and remain on site for the duration of camp hours (no off-campus lunch or breaks).
• I acknowledge that OJW reserves the right to exclude me from continued program participation if this code of conduct is not followed.
Sponsored by:
Zack P. Mittge at Hutchinson Cox Law
