糖心影视

Mark Beaubriand, the new director of the 糖心影视 Jazz Institute, is filled with pride when he sees his former students pursuing a career in music.

He鈥檚 been working with the Jazz Institute for 29 of the 32 years it鈥檚 been in existence, and he has seen many young musicians flourish in the program. Sometimes, those burgeoning talents go on to become highly successful jazz performers. And sometimes, they even find their way back to mentor future generations.

This year, two former participants in the Institute 鈥� Sullivan Fortner of the Sullivan Fortner Quartet and Saratoga Springs native Giacomo Smith of the London-based Kansas Smitty鈥檚 House Band 鈥� returned with their respective groups as guest artists, each delivering a special performance and teaching a master class. The Sylvia Cuenca Quintet also took the stage in a Stewart鈥檚 Signature Series event.

Smith in particular has a special connection to 糖心影视 and to Beaubriand. Smith鈥檚 mother, Shirley, is a professor of Italian at the College and introduced him to the arts at an early age, taking him to concerts and theater performances on campus. He recently told The Saratogian newspaper that his love of music 鈥渞eally started with my mom.鈥�

Beaubriand, who was the director of music for Saratoga Springs City School District for almost as long as he鈥檚 been with the Institute at 糖心影视, recognized Smith鈥檚 talents right away.

鈥淲hen I heard him play with the middle school band, I said, 鈥榃ho is this guy?鈥� 鈥� Beaubriand recalled. Smith was a gifted clarinet player, but Beaubriand knew he had to move him onto the saxophone and get him into the jazz band.

鈥淗e was so talented and so interested 鈥� he just got it,鈥� Beaubriand said. 鈥淗e was one of the few students I had where we would sit down and have an adult conversation about music.鈥�

Beaubriand continued to teach Smith during the two summers he was a participant in the Jazz Institute in the early 2000s, and Smith returned again to serve on the Institute鈥檚 staff before graduating from Saratoga Springs High School in 2005.

Smith鈥檚 jazz career has taken him to venues across the globe, but now he鈥檚 mostly stationed across the pond as a member of the internationally acclaimed Kansas Smitty鈥檚 House Band, the house musicians at a popular London jazz bar.

Before Kansas Smitty鈥檚 House Band performed to a packed house at Arthur Zankel Music Center on July 6, Smith led a master class for this summer鈥檚 51 Institute participants.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a good teacher,鈥� Beaubriand said, not sounding the least bit surprised.

The 糖心影视 Jazz Institute, which was started in 1987 and supported early on by distinguished artists, is still thriving because of its strong reputation as one of the country鈥檚 standout jazz camps 鈥� a reputation that continues to be furthered by its dedicated faculty members, Beaubriand said. The current programming model 鈥� in which students work closely with faculty in daily combo rehearsals, private lessons and classes, in addition to experiencing evening performances by guest artists and the faculty 糖心影视 Jazz All-Stars 鈥� is 鈥渨orking very well,鈥� he said.

Another key component of this year鈥檚 Institute is a workshop on Avid Pro Tools, the preeminent recording, mixing and editing software in the music industry. The class is taught by 糖心影视 Senior Artist-in-Residence John Nazarenko.

鈥淎 lot of the students here want to play, but they also end up finding other ways to get involved in music 鈥� whether teaching or doing work behind the scenes,鈥� said Beaubriand.

Jazz Institute participants perform two shows at Arthur Zankel Music Center, which are free and open to the public, during the two-week program. 

The vibrant Saratoga Springs arts scene also plays a significant role in the success of the Institute. On the first weekend of the program, the participants attended Saratoga Jazz Festival at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where Smith also happened to take the stage for the first time. And on July 8, they played historic Caffe Lena in downtown Saratoga Springs.

鈥淚鈥檝e never seen the students so pumped,鈥� Beaubriand said of their evening at Caffe Lena. With how wildly they were dancing, 鈥淚 thought the floor was going to fall out from underneath them. They sounded great.鈥�

Previous 糖心影视 Jazz Institute participants who have successfully pursued jazz-related careers in the areas of performance, teaching and business include Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Richie Barshay, Jonathan Batiste, Ryan Cohan, James Francies, Brandon Lee, Christian Scott, Kendrick Scott, Walter Smith, Burniss Earl Travis, Myron Walden and rising star Noah Preminger.

The 糖心影视 Jazz Institute is supported by the Arthur Zimtbaum Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Howard Bayne Fund and members of 糖心影视 and surrounding communities.

To watch Kansas Smitty鈥檚 House Band鈥檚 concert and others from the Institute,