Our Story

The Jay Thomas/Michael Van Bebber Jazz Camp began in the Summer of 2021.

The camp focuses on Hard Bop music and is held at the Phinney Ridge Community Center. It runs Monday thru Friday from 11:00am to 5:00pm. At the end of the week, on Friday at 3pm, we will have an open performance that friends and family and the general community can attend. Students are placed in two groups, each 6-7 musicians, based on general skill level. Because of the small size and intimacy of the camp, learning is accelerated through immersion in Jazz. For some students, this means making progress that would normally take a year, compressed into one week.

“The day is not chopped up into different classes , so it’s all about the playing. When it comes to the study of theory and technique on the various various instruments, we weave that into the music that we are performing. It all has to do with that. We don't teach them out of the" hypothetical handbook'... we teach exactly what they need to know to perform the songs we are working on.”…“Michael and I have been friends and colleagues for a number of years and our relationship is one of love and respect. This camp serves as a running start for kids getting back into jazz programs after being off for the summer.” - Jay Thomas