Don Byron Residency Starts Tomorrow at SUNY Ulster

Clarinet king Don Byron has explored a bewildering range of musical genres that includes klezmer, free improv, traditional jazz, classical, gospel, rock, and salsa. Tomorrow, March 12, the Hudson Valley resident, Grammy winner, and Pulitzer Prize nominee will conduct the first of two master classes at SUNY Ulster that precede a concert by the Don Byron New Gospel Quintet at the college next month.

At the classes, which take place March 12 and April 2, Byron, who doubles on saxophone, will discuss topics related to jazz performance, including jazz theory, jazz improvisation, George Russell’s Lydian Chromatic concept, and the state of jazz in today’s society. The residency will conclude with the concert on April 12.

In this video, Byron performs in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in 2010:

The master classes will be held on March 12 and April 2 at 1pm in Room 147 of Vanderlyn Hall on the SUNY Ulster campus in Stone Ridge, New York. The concert by the Don Byron New Gospel Quintet takes place at 7pm in the College Lounge. Both the classes and the concert are free and open to the public. For more information, call (845) 687-5000 or visit https://www.sunyulster.edu/.