Music majors making it in the “Big Time” is an achievement that Gold Coast Jazz Society (GCJS) is proud to consider in their contributions through the Jeanette M. Russell Jazz Scholarship Program, responsible for the partial support of close to three hundred students and half a million dollars in donations. Some have been awarded in all four years of their music programs at accredited schools across the nation, and others are performing today with international acclaim in metro cities…New York, Bern, L.A…and rubbing shoulders with superstars!
Grammy-nominated Saxophonist Patrick Bartley appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert; Miami-born pianist, vocalist, and composer Chris Cadenhead is the musical director for living legend KC and the Sunshine Band; and Trumpeter Jean Caze is either performing or recording with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Michael Bublé, Mariah Carey, Al Jarreau, Roy Hargrove, Arturo Sandoval, and George Duke. These are a few of the success stories that started out in Broward County.
There are more, that attended Dillard High School’s Music Program with Band Director Christopher Dorsey, and New World School of the Arts in Miami, under the dedicated tutelage of Jim Gasior, Director of the NWSA High School Jazz Ensemble. Most have jammed with GCJS’s improv Friday Jazz Jams. Dorsey and Gasior are legends out there; and at home also.
While GCJS’s scholarship program brings their contribution and consistency to Jazz, Education and Youth, it is only the tip of an iceberg on this interesting story. Here’s why. Word on the street is that this Broward County jazz circuit is respectfully viewed for high school students who are serious about their jazz. Big Timers who have come through say that it is not only their experiences in Broward that have enhanced their progress, but the circuit’s recognition ‘out there’ gives them credibility at the start.
The circuit is not Formal; however, this series of inadvertent stepping stones is for the Stepping; and this year the students eligible for the scholarships are Kaleen Barton, Philippe Clément, Stephane Clément, Erwin Dorsainville. Nicolaus Gelin, Derek Janoff, Alexander Larionov, Colin Leonard, Dylan McHann, David Mason, Nolan Nwachukwu, Brandon Richards, Jon Shillingford, Claudio Silva, Luca Stine; and two Jazz Camp Awardees, Ryan Goodman and Pulley Enrique. All are majoring in music and attending the nation’s universities and colleges, from Sophomore through Senior. Schools this year are University of Miami, Manhattan School of Music, University of N. Florida, Peobody Institute/Johns Hopkins in Baltimore Maryland; and for the Jazz Camps, two students are from the New World School of the Arts in Miami Dade County, FL.
“We remember the days when Russell Hall played as a high school student at our First Friday Jazz Jams,” says GCJS Executive Director Pam Dearden. “He's now a successful working musician. We're proud to have played a role in Russell's music education.” Hall comes back often to perform in the Society’s Concert Season, as do many of the alumni.
Apparently, the international ‘Jazz Scene’ today is being trail-blazed by a group of young musicians, many who came through this very Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, circuit. Russell Hall says “what I learned at First Friday Jazz Jams, that no person or school teaches, is the grace of talking and listening musically; and the skill of sharing in ideas through notes and keys on instruments…Piano, Base, Drums.”
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| Award Alumni |
Dave Chiverton, another acclaimed alumnus who returns to perform for the GCJS Concert Series, is currently touring internationally with various major talents such as Lauryn Hill, Jon Secada, Donnie McClurkin. Los Angeles musician Carey Frank, is a touring performing and recording artist, arranger, composer and teacher; and David Leon is a Cuban-American saxophonist, woodwinds player, and composer/improviser living in Brooklyn, New York. South Florida native and Trumpeter Anthony Hervey, recently (2019) made his international debut as a bandleader at the Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland; and Saxophonist Markus Howell is a composer and educator from Deerfield Beach, Florida, and a current member of the legendary Count Basie Orchestra where he travels frequently across the world.
As the band plays on in South Florida, new talents emerge and the now seasoned jazz musicians light the way. Gold Coast Jazz Society stays committed to Jeanette Russell’s vision to enhance the lives of young musicians with a passion for playing music and the art of jazz. This year’s scholarship awards have been made possible from donations by Teri Pattullo in the name of Brian Pattullo and from donations from the Elizabeth and Daniel O’Connor Family Foundation.
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Frederick G. Ruffner, Jr. had a vision to bring more jazz to the “Gold Coast” area of South Florida. In 1992, Fred and a group of avid jazz buffs made this vision a reality by forming a non-profit organization called the Gold Coast Jazz Society in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Following its formation, the GCJS developed a concert series, which was presented in the main dining room of the historic Riverside Hotel, located on the famous Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. As the concert series continued to grow and expand, a larger venue was required. The concert series was eventually moved to the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, located in the Arts & Science District of Fort Lauderdale. Today, the seven-concert jazz series continues to be presented in the Amaturo Theater each year from November through May. Over the years the Society has grown and expanded to include the presentation of jazz education and community outreach activities, the Jeanette M. Russell Jazz Scholarship Program, and many special events throughout the year.
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