Howard Payne University’s School of Music and Fine Arts invites area band directors and students to attend four instrument-specific jazz clinics on Thursday, Nov. 14, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in HPU’s Davidson Music Complex.
The evening of clinics will conclude with a free performance by widely acclaimed clinicians Norm Bergeron, Stephen Goacher, Dr. Tarik Hassan and Dr. Benjamin Irom at 7:30 p.m. in HPU’s L.J. Mims Auditorium.
Sessions will focus on drums, saxophone, bass and piano and be led by, respectively, Bergeron, director of percussion studies at Temple College; Goacher, professor of music at HPU; Dr. Hassan, an Austin-based bassist, composer, educator and double bass instructor at Temple College; and Dr. Irom, professor of music and director of jazz studies at Temple College.
All four clinics are free of charge. Registration will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the date of the event in the Davidson Music Complex foyer.
Bergeron earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz performance from the University of North Texas and his Master of Science degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in ethnomusicology, anthropology and documentary film. He served as the instructor of the Afro-Cuban, Afro-Brazilian, West African and Gamelan ensembles while at the University of North Texas. He performs as the drummer for Big Cat, a band fronted by Storyville vocalist Malford Milligan, and with the Austin Jazz Workshop at elementary schools in Austin-area school districts. He has performed in the studio and live with numerous artists including Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Holland Greco, Tim Miller, Joe McBride, Jeffrey Osborne, Grover Washington, Jr., Al Jarreau, Wayne Bergeron, Ernie Watts, Joey McIntyre, Brave Combo, Mingo Fishtrap, Sara Hickman, Steve Reich, Angelo Bundini and on numerous jingle and singer/songwriter sessions. He endorses Vic Firth sticks and mallets, Aquarian Drumheads and Sabian cymbals.
Goacher has served as professor of music and director of jazz studies at Howard Payne University for the past 20 years. Goacher previously served as professor of music at Stephen F. Austin State University, Kansas State University and Northern Kentucky University where taught both woodwinds and jazz studies. Professionally, he has performed with the Henry Mancini Orchestra, Bob Hope, Tommy Dorsey, The Temptations, Lena Horne, Rosemary Clooney, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Steve Lawrence and Edy Gorme. Additionally, he has been a member of the Temple Jazz Orchestra since 2008 and performed at the Jazz a’ Vienne France Festival, the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, the Monteau Jazz Festival in Switzerland and the Regen Jazz Club in Vienna, Austria.
Dr. Hassan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz studies from Florida State University; his Master of Music degree from the University of New Orleans; and his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in performance with an emphasis in jazz at The University of Texas at Austin. He spent nearly a decade as a professional musician in New Orleans where he developed his unique sound while studying the music of jazz masters past and present. He has performed with Jason Marsalis, Andre Hayward, Bruce Saunders, Irvin Mayfield, Ed Petersen, Steve Masalowski, Johnny Vidacovich, Marlon Jorday, Delfeayo Marsalis, Brian Seegar, and Troy Davis. He has performed at Snug Harbor, the House of Blues in New Orleans, The Orleans in Las Vegas, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and in France at Les Cultures du Monde.
In addition to serving on the faculty of Temple College, Dr. Irom is the director of the Temple Jazz Orchestra, a 20-piece big band comprised of some of the best jazz musicians in Central Texas. He has been a faculty member at Baylor University, Riverside Community College in Riverside, California and The University of Texas at Austin. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of California, Santa Cruz; his Master of Arts degree in music composition from the University of California, Los Angeles; and his Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in composition with jazz emphasis at The University of Texas at Austin. He has performed alongside Paquito D’Rivera, Poncho Sanchez, Arturo Sandoval, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Shew, Randy Brecker, Jim Pugh, Rufus Reid, James Moody, Roy Hargrove, Kenny Burrell, Eddie Daniels, John Fedchock, Marcus Printup, Ed Calle, Bill Watrous, Butch Miles and Bob Mintzer. His music is available for purchase through The University of Northern Colorado Jazz Press.
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Cutline: Pictured are Dr. Benjamin Hassan, Stephen Goacher, Norm Bergeron and Dr. Tarik Hassan, instructors for HPU’s Nov. 14 jazz clinics.