Mitch Butler - Trombone
The ColaJazz Foundation is proud to announce that Dr. Mitch Butler is our Director of Jazz Education. Dr. Butler received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Performance from East Carolina University. Dr. Butler is also a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Doctor of Music Arts degree in Music Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies.
Dr. Butler has been the trombonist and arranger for a number of musical groups including the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In February of 2017, Dr. Butler added the role of producer to his resume, as he teamed up with Grammy Award winning producer Richard Seidel, where he co-produced, arranged, and served as musical director for critically acclaimed vocalist Tiffany Austin. Dr. Butler has also been a trombonist for the international award winning jazz group JazzBonez and has performed and/or recorded with musical greats such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Curtis Fuller, Tia Fuller, Derrick Gardner, Robert Glasper, Slide Hampton, Andre Hayward, Conrad Herwig, Brad Leali, Branford Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Melton Mustafa, Dick Oates, Kenny Rampton, Rufus Reid, Herlin Riley, Stephen Riley, Darius Rucker, Grady Tate, Billy Taylor, Gregory Tardy, Fred Wesley, and many others....
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Mitch Butler - Trombone
The ColaJazz Foundation is proud to announce that Dr. Mitch Butler is our Director of Jazz Education. Dr. Butler received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Performance from East Carolina University. Dr. Butler is also a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a Doctor of Music Arts degree in Music Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies.
Dr. Butler has been the trombonist and arranger for a number of musical groups including the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. In February of 2017, Dr. Butler added the role of producer to his resume, as he teamed up with Grammy Award winning producer Richard Seidel, where he co-produced, arranged, and served as musical director for critically acclaimed vocalist Tiffany Austin. Dr. Butler has also been a trombonist for the international award winning jazz group JazzBonez and has performed and/or recorded with musical greats such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Curtis Fuller, Tia Fuller, Derrick Gardner, Robert Glasper, Slide Hampton, Andre Hayward, Conrad Herwig, Brad Leali, Branford Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Melton Mustafa, Dick Oates, Kenny Rampton, Rufus Reid, Herlin Riley, Stephen Riley, Darius Rucker, Grady Tate, Billy Taylor, Gregory Tardy, Fred Wesley, and many others.
Dr. Butler was the Director of Jazz Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at California State University, East Bay in Hayward, CA from 2013 to 2016. Before that, he was Director of Jazz Studies at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC from 2009 to 2013. He has also invested time in music throughout the community, having provided private lessons in trombone and jazz studies as well as participating in clinics/workshops throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, the Southeast, Central Texas, Wisconsin, and California. Dr. Butler has also held faculty and teaching positions at several institutions including Durham School of the Arts, East Carolina University, North Carolina Central University, Elon University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of Texas at Austin. In August of 2018, Dr. Butler was named Coordinator of Jazz Studies at the University of Missouri at Kansas City and served in that role until August 2021.
Dr. Mitch Butler, Director of Jazz Education, ColaJazz Foundation
The Director of Jazz Education develops, coordinates, teaches, and evaluates a wide range of jazz education programs offered through ColaJazz. The Director will oversee local jazz educators and touring artists who together provide a robust jazz education experience for diverse communities across the Midlands of South Carolina, and in particular youth. The Director of Jazz Education will partner with the Executive Director, the Board of Directors, and the Advisory Board to facilitate education goals.
As a forward-facing member of the broader music community, the Director of Jazz Education will work to form educational partnerships, recruit for education programs, and will help to tell the story of jazz education at ColaJazz in order to facilitate the growth and sustainability of the organization.
https://www.facebook.com/JazzandGardens
Amos Hoffman - Guitar
Amos Hoffman, is an internationally recognized Israeli Jazz guitarist and oud player, celebrated as a pioneer in blending Middle Eastern rhythms and melodic themes with modern Jazz. Hoffman's musical journey began at the age of 6 when he started playing the guitar, later adding the oud to his repertoire. After years of private lessons, he further honed his skills at the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. Seeking new musical experiences, he ventured first to Amsterdam and then to New York City, where he collaborated with established musicians and promising talents such as pianist Jason Lindner, bassist Avishai Cohen, and vocalist Claudia Acuña. To date, Hoffman has released five solo albums: "The Dreamer" (1999), "Na'ama" (2006), "Evolution" (2008), "Carving" (2010), and his most recent work, "Back to the City" (2015). Additionally, he has contributed to numerous albums for artists worldwide, including Avishai Cohen, Kiko Berenguer (Spain), and Jan Młynarski (Poland). In 2013, Amos received one of Israel's most prestigious awards, the Landau Prize for Arts and Sciences, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of jazz. Now based in the United States, in South Carolina, Hoffman continues to embark on new musical adventures and reach an ever-expanding audience.
On his latest album, 'Minor Operation,' set to be released on Jojo Records, Amos Hoffman joins forces with iconic players Santi Debriano and Lenny White. In many ways, this album represents the culmination of Hoffman's journey as an artist, as very few contemporary musicians intertwine jazz and traditional Arabic rhythms to the extent that Amos has in this stellar new effort.
https://amoshoffman.com/
Zee Slaughter - Bass
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFKqD3CR1zT/?hl=en
Kris Phelps - Drums
https://www.instagram.com/p/DNn9ABKgYgV/
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