撸短视频

Institute Faculty 2026

Former Institute faculty members can be seen here.

Todd Coolman - Artistic Director, Bass & Combo Leader

Grammy award-winning bassist Todd Coolman has performed and/or recorded with a virtual, 鈥淲ho鈥檚 who鈥� of jazz artists including Horace Silver, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Benny Golson, Ahmad Jamal, Art Farmer, Jay Jay Johnson, The Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, among others. He enjoyed a 25-year stint with the James Moody Quartet and continues to perform with Jon Faddis, Charles McPherson, Renee Rosnes, as well as leading his own small groups. His recordings include Collectables with his trio Trifecta (Bill Cunliffe and Dennis Mackrel), Our Delight, Perfect Strangers, and 4B, the last recording of James Moody and winner of the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. Coolman holds a Ph.D. from New York University and is the author of two books, The Bass Tradition and The BottomLine. He is Professor Emeritus at SUNY Purchase where he Directed the Jazz Studies Program for ten years and has been a Professor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (his Alma mater). Recent projects include e-blog 鈥淭ales from the Road鈥揂 Jazz Musician鈥檚 Diary鈥� and 鈥淭he Cool Toddcast鈥濃�揓azz Interviews with notable musicians and contributors to the industry. Coolman has been with SJI since 1998. 

James Burton, III - Trombone & Combo Leader

New York based trombonist James Burton III has earned a reputation as a sought-after performer and educator. Mentored by jazz luminaries Jackie McLean and Curtis Fuller, Burton has lent his sound to Grammy Award-winning albums and Tony Award-winning Broadway productions. He has recorded and performed with artists such as James Moody, Frank Wess, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, Ron Carter, Joe Chambers, and Christian McBride. His ensemble credits include the Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton Orchestras, Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the Roy Hargrove Big Band. He was the trombonist/associate conductor for the Jazz at Lincoln Center All Star Orchestra in the Tony Award-winning production After Midnight. An avid educator, Burton is currently professor of jazz theory at the Juilliard School as well as conductor of the renowned Juilliard Jazz Orchestra.

Bill Cunliffe 鈥� Piano & Combo Leader

Pianist, composer and Grammy Award-winning arranger Bill Cunliffe has worked with legends including Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Ray Brown, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard and Art Farmer. He currently performs with his trio; his big band; his Latin band, Imaginaci贸n; and his classical-jazz ensemble, Trimotif. Recent releases include his trio album River Edge, New Jersey, and his Overture, Waltz and Rondo for jazz piano, trumpet and orchestra, which won Cunliffe his fifth Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition. Cunliffe is a jazz studies professor at Cal State Fullerton. He received his master鈥檚 degree from the Eastman School of Music and was the 1989 winner of the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition.

鈥� Drums & Combo Leader

Drummer and composer Quincy Davis was born in Grand Rapids, MI and comes from a very musical family. He began taking piano and drum lessons at age 6 and went on to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy and Western Michigan University. He has performed and toured with world-renowned musicians such as Cecil McLorin-Salvant, Russell Malone, Paquito D'Rivera, Kurt Elling, Christian McBride, Buster Williams, Leslie Odom Jr., Aaron Parks, Vanessa Rubin, Aaron Goldberg, Jimmy Heath, The Clayton Brothers, Harold Mabern, Aaron Parks, Peter Bernstein, David Hazeltine, Roy Hargrove, Houston Person, and The Mingus Orchestra. Davis has released 2 recordings of all original music and can be heard on over 50 albums playing with many notable jazz artists. His YouTube channel, well-known for drum lessons and interviews, has over 15K subscribers. Davis is currently an associate professor at the University of North Texas.

- Trombone & Combo Leader

One of today鈥檚 leading improvisers on the trombone, Davis鈥� lyrical, hard-swinging style first gained him broad recognition during the 1990鈥檚 while working with the bands of Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Chick Corea鈥檚 Origin and the cooperative sextet, One For All. He has appeared in Downbeat Magazine鈥檚 Reader鈥檚 and Critic鈥檚 Polls and was nominated by The JJA four years in a row as Trombonist of the Year. Recent recordings include For Real and Gettin鈥� It Done (Positone). He graduated from The Hartt School (Jackie McLean Institute鈥擴niversity of Hartford, CT). McLean helped Davis land his first major gig with Art Blakey in NYC in 1989. In 1991 Davis joined McLean鈥檚 sextet and began teaching alongside his mentor at the Artist鈥檚 Collective and the Hartt School of Music where he remains on the faculty. As a leader, he frequently performs with Larry Willis, Mike DiRubbo, David Bryant, Dezron Douglas, Eric McPherson, and continues to perform with One For All (Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, John Webber and Joe Farnsworth). Davis is in demand as a sideman, has been featured on over 100 recordings and has also played with the Larry Willis鈥� Quintet, Freddie Hubbard and The New Jazz Composers Octet, Slide Hampton and The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band, The Jimmy Heath Big Band, Ron Carter Big Band, Cecil Payne, Horace Silver and Wynton Marsalis鈥� Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. 

- Trumpet & Combo Leader

Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Tatum Greenblatt is one of New York City鈥檚 most in-demand trumpet players. His varied performing and recording credits include Blood Sweat & Tears, Sabrina Carpenter, Christian McBride鈥檚 Big Band, Sachal Vasandani, Christian Sands, Ulysses Owens, Emmet Cohen, Macklemore, Bastille, Grizzly Bear, Orrin Evans, Roy Hargrove鈥檚 Big Band, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra among others. He appears frequently with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and he has been a member of the Mingus Big Band for over 15 years. As a conductor, Greenblatt has led The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Orchestra, the 2023 Arizona All-State Jazz Orchestra, and the Future of Jazz Orchestra. He has taught at Rutgers University, is active in the Jazz at Lincoln Center education department, and is currently serving on the faculty at The Juilliard School where he received his master鈥檚 degree in music. Greenblatt has released three albums; his most recent, Imprints, was a DownBeat Magazine 鈥淐ritic鈥檚 Pick鈥�.

- Saxophone & Combo Leader

Connecticut native Jimmy Greene is a saxophonist, composer, and educator. He has released 12 solo recordings to critical acclaim, including While Looking Up. Greene鈥檚 two previous albums celebrated the life of his 6-year old daughter, Anna Marquez-Green, whose life was tragically taken at Sandy Hook Elementary. His 2016 album Beautiful Life garnered two Grammy nominations. Greene graduated from the Hartt School, received a master鈥檚 in music education from Boston University, and his doctorate degree in jazz arts at the Manhattan School of Music. In addition to his recordings and appearances as a leader, Greene appears on over 100 albums as a sideman, and has toured and/or recorded with a number of jazz greats. Greene is professor of music and co-coordinator of jazz studies at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut.

Russell Haight - Saxophone

A Saratoga Springs local, Russell Haight is a saxophonist, composer, and educator specializing in jazz theory and improvisation. Haight received his Doctorate from the University of Texas and taught and performed regularly at Texas State University for 12 years. He has also performed and presented at the International Saxophone Symposium, North American Saxophone Alliance, Jazz Education Network, and Texas Music Educators Association conferences. He released his first album as a leader, Destination, in 2017, winning a silver medal at the Global Music Awards. In 2021, he earned a Grammy nomination with blues artist Ruthie Foster for her album 鈥淟ive at the Paramount.鈥� Haight published Odd-Meter Etudes for Saxophone in 2019, and currently serves as jazz coordinator and associate professor at 撸短视频. He is a former Jazz Institute student.

Bob Halek - Drums, Combo & Administration

Bob Halek is a much sought-after drummer, percussionist, educator, clinician and conductor.  Performing jazz, pop, rock, soul, big band, orchestral, concert and opera music, he has shared the stage with many exceptional regional and national musicians. Halek was named Teacher of the Year in the East Greenbush School District where he spent many years teaching instrumental music. He is currently an adjunct professor at Schenectady County Community College and 撸短视频.

 鈥� Trumpet & Combo Leader

Clay Jenkins' career as a performer began when he joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1977. He moved to Los Angeles and soon after joined the The Buddy Rich Big Band and then The Count Basie Orchestra. He became a charter member of The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO) along with the great Snooky Young. He has 8 solo recordings and has recorded with Joe LaBarbera, Milt Jackson, Steve Houghton, Diana Krall, Kim Richmond, Billy Harper, 鈥淭rio East,鈥� Lyle Mays, Peter Erskine, Gene Bertoncini, Rufus Reid, Ray Brown, Kurt Elling, Bob Sheppard, Jim Widner, John LaBarbera, Pat LaBarbera and Miki Coltrane among others. He has performed on 3 Grammy Nominated Albums including The Alan Ferber Big Band, The Dave Slonaker Jazz Orchestra and Chuck Owens鈥� Surge Big Band. Jenkins is a Professor of Jazz Trumpet at The Eastman School of Music and maintains a busy performing schedule.

鈥� Drums & Combo Leader

Mackrel got his start playing in the Count Basie Orchestra in 1983, and would be the last drummer hired by Mr. Basie personally. Since then has played with an impressive list of ensembles, including the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Carla Bley Very Large Band, Slide Hampton and the Jazz Masters, the Hank Jones Trio, Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, and the American Jazz Orchestra. Mackrel鈥檚 compositions have been recorded and performed internationally, most notably by the McCoy Tyner Band, who鈥檚 Grammy-Award-winning CDs The Turning Point (Verve Records, 1992) and Journey (Verve Records, 1993) included Mackrel's arrangements. He has also played with a host of other musicians that include Monty Alexander, Tony Bennett, Quincy Jones, Hank Jones and Sir George Shearing. In 2010 Mackrel returned to the Count Basie Orchestra and served as the ensemble鈥檚 leader and chief conductor until 2013. From 2015 to 2020 he was the chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Holland. In 2019, the orchestra was awarded the prestigious "Edison Award" for their double CD "Crossroads". Mackrel is also currently a professor at Queens College.

Will Mason 鈥� Audio Engineering/Recording

Will Mason is a composer, performer, and music scholar. His musical and scholarly interests include electronic and computer music, audio engineering, improvisation, microtonality, and theories of musical timbre that draw from embodied music cognition. Trained as a jazz drummer, he also performs regularly on electronics in a number of genre-crossing contexts. Mason is co-editor of, and a contributor to, the Oxford Handbook of Spectral Music, and has written for Grove Music Online and the Journal of Music Theory. He is currently at work on a monograph titled Imagination Audible: Metaphors of Construction in the Recording Studio, which theorizes the nexus of technics, embodiment, and the tools of the modern recording studio. Mason holds a PhD in music theory from Columbia University, was associate professor at Wheaton College and is an associate professor at 撸短视频. 

Frank Moscowitz 鈥� Audio Engineering/Producing

Frank Moscowitz is a veteran of the Capitol District music scene with nearly 3 decades of experience in recording, live sound, and performance across multiple genres.  As Technical Director of the Zankel Music Center, Moscowitz is responsible for everything from day to day logistics to making sure the show goes on.  At the 撸短视频 Jazz Institute, he brings these skills and experience to the Ladd Concert Hall in the form of live sound reinforcement and livestream mixing, while in the Grossman Recording Studio he guides the proceedings there with an experienced ear, and is an encyclopedic resource for students with any questions about the recording process.

- Guitar & Combo Leader

Gary Giddins of the Village Voice calls guitarist Dave Stryker "one of the most distinctive guitarists to come along in recent years.鈥� Stryker has 31 CD鈥檚 as a leader and is known as a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine and Jack McDuff. Hot House magazine awarded him Best Guitarist Fans Decision for 2017 and he was once again voted as one of the top Jazz Guitarists in the 2019 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls. His most recent CD Eight Track III hIt #1 for 6 weeks on the JazzWeek Radio chart, and was chosen as one of the top CD鈥檚 of 2019 by Downbeat Magazine. Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, moved to New York City in 1980, and joined organist Jack McDuff鈥檚 group soon after. He has also performed with Freddie Hubbard, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and many others. He is the author of Dave Stryker鈥檚 Jazz Guitar Improvisation Method (Mel Bay Publishing). Stryker is an Adjunct Professor at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, and Rutgers University.

- Saxophone & Combo Leader

Erena Terakubo is an internationally acclaimed saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, and educator from Sapporo, Japan. She has performed across five continents with some of the most respected names in jazz, including Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Louis Hayes, Christian McBride, Jimmy Cobb, and Jon Faddis. Her career began at an extraordinary pace鈥攚hile still in high school, she recorded her debut album North Bird, which reached #1 on the Japanese jazz charts and earned Swing Journal鈥檚 prestigious Gold Disc award. Since then, she has released six more albums as a leader and performed at world-renowned venues and festivals. She has appeared with the Kenny Barron Quartet, the Mingus Big Band, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, and the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra. Terakubo earned her Bachelor of Music degree as a Presidential Scholar at Berklee College of Music and later completed her Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music. She has led workshops, clinics, and masterclasses throughout the United States, Japan, and Europe. In 2025, she joined the faculty at Michigan State University as an Assistant Professor of Jazz Saxophone.

Alicyn Yaffee 鈥� Guitar & Combo Leader

Alicyn Yaffee is a New York City-based guitarist and vocalist. Originally from California, she earned her bachelor of music in jazz studies with a double major of guitar and vocals at California State University-Sacramento and her master鈥檚 degree in jazz performance from Rutgers University studying under Dave Stryker and Conrad Herwig. She has toured the U.S and Europe, and performed with artists such as Mark Whitfield, Bria Skonberg, Billy Porter, Becca Stevens, Arcoiris Sandoval, and Indian progressive rock composer Anupam Shobhakar among others. Yaffee鈥檚 first solo album 鈥淪omeone Else鈥� featured Cindy Blackman Santana, Ronnie Foster, and Jeff Cressman. She currently teaches at New York Jazz Workshop.

 

鈥� Piano & Combo Leader

Japanese-born pianist Miki Yamanaka has called New York City home since 2012. Over the past decade, she has gained recognition from her NYC residencies at venerable jazz clubs like Smalls and Mezzrow. 鈥婼he has several albums as a leader, and her most recent release, Chance (Cellar Music), features her NYC rhythm section, Tyrone Allen II and Jimmy Macbride. During the pandemic, Yamanaka developed an in-home live-streaming weekly concert series entitled 鈥溾�� featuring a veritable who鈥檚 who of jazz talent. The series has gained widespread popularity, and includes husband and frequent collaborator drummer Jimmy Macbride. As a sideman, Yamanaka has worked with many jazz luminaries including Antonio Hart, Roger Humphries, Jamile and The Mingus Bigband. She is known for her vibrant personality and vast collection of kimonos that she proudly wears on stage.   

Administration

Brian Carucci 鈥� Director

Brian Carucci is a music teacher at Shenendehowa High School where he teaches Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, instrumental lessons, and serves as the pit orchestra director for the high school musical. He coordinates the annual Shenendehowa Jazz Festival and Invitational, bringing world-class artists to work with Shenedehowa students and musicians from across the Capital Region. An All-State woodwind and jazz adjudicator for the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), Carucci is set to begin his term as Chairperson for the All-State Jazz Ensemble.  He also maintains a private woodwind studio in Rexford, New York. Carucci鈥檚 previous roles include Assistant Conductor for the NYSSSA School of Orchestral Studies and adjunct clarinet instructor at Schenectady County Community College. As a performer, he has appeared with Albany Pro Musica, Northern Symphonic Winds, Capital Region Wind Ensemble, Schenectady Light Opera Company, and the Glens Falls Symphony. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Music Education and Master's degree in Music Performance from the Crane School of Music.

Donald McCormack - Program Consultant

As Dean of Special Programs at 撸短视频, Don McCormack founded the 撸短视频 Jazz Institute in 1987. Under McCormack's 20-year tenure as dean, the College launched nationally recognized programs in the arts, among them the NYS Summer Writers Institute, 撸短视频 Summer Dance Workshop, 撸短视频 Summer Flute Institute, SITI Company Summer Theater Workshop and the Summer SIX Art Program. A long-time advocate for arts education, McCormack has been the inspiration and the impetus for creating artistic residencies and scholarship funds that serve disadvantaged students. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

 

Drew Lammly 鈥� Assistant Director

Andrew Lammly (Drew) is a band director at Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, NY. He holds a master鈥檚 degree in Saxophone Performance from Arizona State University and dual bachelor鈥檚 degrees in Music Education and Saxophone Performance, with a minor in Jazz Studies, from the Crane School of Music. He has performed and competed nationally as a saxophonist, earning accolades in competitions like the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and MTNA National Chamber Music Competition. Lammly has served as the director of the Clarkson University Jazz Band and held teaching positions at the Crane Youth Music Camp and Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. He frequently performs alongside his wife, harpist Anna Lammly, and maintains a private saxophone studio in the Capital Region.