It's going to be Great!! The MCC Small Group and MCC Jazz Ensemble are having their Jazzfest Concert Wednesday, May 8, 2024 in the Robin & Tim Wentworth Arts Building on the Mainstage Theater, 4-141, starting at 7:30 p.m. Come enjoy an evening of music provided by students and friends of the Music Performance Program at MCC. Guest Artists will be Geoffrey Smith on bass, Phil Lake on drums, Mike Title baum (Ithaca College jazz director, saxophone) and Bill Tiberio on Saxophone who was just inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame for an Educator's Award.
Saxophonist/composer/arranger Mike Titlebaum has played in many of NYC’s world famous venues, including the Blue Note, Smalls, the former CBGB's and the pit orchestra of the Broadway musical "Cats" at the Winter Garden Theater. He has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, and with dozens of internationally recognized artists and groups. Titlebaum is Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at Ithaca College, where he directs the Ithaca College Jazz Ensemble and teaches several topics including jazz theory & aural training, arranging, improvisation. He is the author of “Jazz Improvisation Using Simple Melodic Embellishment” (Routledge, 2021) and co-editor of “Teaching School Jazz: Perspectives, Principles, and Strategies” (Oxford University Press, 2019). Titlebaum also has compositions and arrangements published by Advance Music, Lorenz (Heritage Jazz Works), and GIA Publications. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he earned a B.M. in Saxophone Performance and the Performer's Certificate in Saxophone in 1991, and an M.M. in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media with a Writing Skills Emphasis in 1992.
Bill Tiberio, Rochester Music Hall of Fame Educator is in his 40th year as a music educator, and is a band Director at Fairport High School, University of Rochester, SUNY Geneseo, Ithaca College, and Eastman Community Music School. At Fairport, he has been selected as a Fairport High School alumni award recipient, as well as an Educator Wall of Distinction recipient. He has been recognized as an outstanding teacher through the University of Rochester, secondary teaching awards and as a music teacher by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Last year, Bill was one of 100 recipients of the Eastman School Centennial Award. He is active in the performance scene in the Rochester area, and leads the Bill Tiberio Band, which has released 4 records in the last 15 years. He is also a member of the spiritus Christi Gospel choir band, the Bill Welch Band, Allegro, Up 2 somethin’, and Uptown Groove, as well as a frequent member of the Russell Scarbrough big band.
Geoffrey Smith is a bassist and a craftsman, building high-end electric basses. He got Professor Nyerges into woodworking! Smith earned his Masters from the Eastman School of Music, U. of R. Nyerges and Smith have played together in many bands for over 3 decades. Smtih was a professor at MCC and for the last 20+ years has been the recording techniques professor and bass teacher at FLCC. He also plays and records with The Bill Tiberio Band and the Nyerges, Smith & Lake Trio.
Phil Lake is a professional performer and educator. He has a degree in Applied Percussion from Berklee College Of Music in Boston, MA. In addition to maintaining a private teaching practice for many years, Phil currently teaches drum set, percussion, and jazz ensemble at Finger Lakes Community College. Throughout his career he has performed extensively appearing with many regional as well as nationally recognized musicians including Randy Brecker, Eddie Daniels, Al Vizzutti, John Faddis, Al Chez, the Nyerges, Smith & Lake Trio and the Bill Tiberio Band.
MCC Instrumental Music Director
Professor John Nyerges earned his Bachelors in Music in Education, Piano and a Masters in Jazz Piano Performance Studies at Eastman. He has taught for the RCSD and Hochstein and started at MCC in 1999. He teaches Jazz Improvisation, Studio Production, MIDI, Performance class, piano classes, Jazz History and the Music Business. He also taught jazz piano and small group at Eastman’s Summer Jazz camp for more than 30 years.
As a performer, John has 3 CD’s out of original compositions as a leader on NBRJazz which received critical acclaim from JazzTimes (sic) and Cadence magazines as well as local reviews, is listed on All About Jazz.com, and performed on more than a dozen others, and has more CDs coming out later this year. John’s Quartet performed at the RIJF several times (Rochester International Jazz Fest), Syracuse JazzFest, the Rochester International Jazz Fest (RIJF), and has been the jazz pianist for Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concerts for 30 years, Jeff Tyzik conducting. He has also worked with the Buffalo (with ‘Doc' Severinson), Syracuse, Utica, Erie, Northeastern Pennsylvania, Williamsburg VA. and Wilmington, DE orchestras. Guests performed with the RPO or at Eastman, at Town Hall in NYC have included Joe Henderson, Maria Schneider, Steve Gadd, Benny Carter, The New York Voices, Arturo Sandoval, Peter Erskine, Gerry Niewood, "Doc" Severinson, Bob Brookmeyer, Joe Locke, Brian Scanlon, Chris Vadala, Terrell Stafford, Pat & Joe Labarbera, Denzal Sinclaire, Shayna Steele, Byron Stripling, Rich Thompson, Jeff Campbell, and Alexa Tarantino. He has also performed with Dave Rivello, Clay Jenkins, Victoria Corrigan, the NEJO (New Energy Jazz Orchestra), Vince Ercolamento and more. He has also recorded as a sideman for many other bands.
Music & Students involved:
MCC Small Jazz Group
- My Brown Shoes*: Jacob David (MCC student)
- Dolphin Dance: Herbie Hancock
- Ceora: Lee Morgan
- Invitation: Bronislau Kaper
- Cruising*: Sam Newlin (MCC student)
Professor Nyerges & Friends
- Sambelissa 2: John Nyerges
- Alternate Rhythming*: John Nyerges
* premiere performance
Goodbyes to Students
MCC Jazz Ensemble
- Ok, Alright, You Win: Sid Wyche & Mayme Watts
- Guest Vocalist: Jocselyn Seiler
- Pentapeggios: Composed & arranged by John Nyerges
- Summertime: George Gershwin / DoBose Heyward, arranged by John Nyerges
- Guest Vocalist: Taylor Brown
- Sunday Morning: Composed & arranged by John Nyerges
Small Group Members
- Tenor Saxophone: Jacob David (also soprano sax)
- Trumpet: Donavin Pierson
- Guitar: Sam Newlin, David Hunter
- Piano: Professor Nyerges
- Vibraphone: Nathaniel McGriff
- Bass: Chris Northington
- Drums: Kevin Thompson
Jazz Ensemble Members
- Guest Vocalists: Taylor Brown, Jocselyn Seiler
- Guest Instrumentalists: Mike Titlebaum (Alto Sax), Bill Tiberio (Tenor Sax), Phil Lake (Drum set), Geoffrey Smith (Bass, former MCC Professor)
- Alto Saxophone: Albby Rodriguez
- Tenor Saxophone: Trevor Smith, Jacob David (also soprano sax)
- Baritone Saxophone: Jacob Phillips
- Trumpet: Donavin Peiierson, Zachary Glassman, Olivia Salisbury, Joscelyn Seiler
- Guitar: Sam Newlin, David Hunter
- Piano, Keyboard: Professor John Nyerges
- Drums: Richard Andrus
- Bass: Chris Northington, Mariah Augustin
SPONSOR: Student Music Assoc (SMA club), Student Association, College Assoc. Creative Arts Committee