The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami is a prominent breeding ground for jazz stars. Bass legend Jaco Pastorius studied there, as did vocalist Carmen Lundy and saxophonist Bobby Watson. Guitar genius Pat Metheny was a UM student too, but after just a semester of study, was swiftly promoted to the rank of professor — the youngest in school history.
Today, the Frost School’s reputation for minting breakout jazz artists is still strong. Newly graduated musicians like bassist Esperanza Spalding (an alumna of the university’s Henry Mancini Institute), pianist Emmet Cohen, saxophonist Troy Roberts and vocalists Arianna Neikrug and Veronica Swift are all products of the Frost School’s rigorous jazz program. But the school’s greatest claim to fame at the moment may be the caliber of its faculty, which claims pianist Shelly Berg, trumpeter John Daversa, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba and drummer Dafnis Prieto among its esteemed ranks.
This playlist, which is brought to you in part by the Frost School of Music, presents choice cuts from some of the University of Miami’s storied alumni and current faculty. For a glimpse at the future, check out the artists performing at the school’s Frost Music Live! Signature Series, taking place Nov. 13-15 at the UM Maurice Gusman Concert Hall in Coral Gables, Florida. Vocalist Jo Lawry, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and guitarist Adam Rogers are headlining. Tickets are available here.
This content is sponsored in part by the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and Frost Music Live!
