Department of Music

The University of Virginia offers a variety of great Jazz offerings from our renowned faculty jazz group the Free Bridge Quintet to the Jazz Ensemble and the small jazz combos. 

The Free Bridge Quintet, our resident faculty ensemble features Jeff Decker on saxophones, Robert Jospé on drums, Peter Spaar on bass, John D’earth on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Calvin Brown on piano. Their recent offering on Bandcamp, etc., For The Record, and Off To See The Wizard, The Music of Harold Arlen are the first two in a series of Old Cabell Hall concerts the quintet is in the process of releasing.

The UVA Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of trumpeter John D’earth, has become one of the most creative in the University’s history. The group’s performances and recordings (virginiajazz.org) feature repertoire from across the spectrum of the history of Jazz and original music by band members and the director. 

The Jazz Small Groups are taught by distinguished jazz performance faculty members Peter Spaar, Jeff Decker and Mike Rosensky. The combos range in size from quartets to octets and vary in skill-level from intermediate to advanced. Repertoire is chosen from a diverse range of jazz styles by such greats as Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, Antonio Carlos Jobim, among many others, as well as original compositions by both faculty and students.

Group recordings can also be heard at virginiajazz.org.

2023-2024 UVA Jazz Events

2022-2023 UVA Jazz Events

The UVA Jazz Program is proud to be affiliated with the Charlottesville Jazz Society and WTJU 91.1 check them out for more great Jazz.

To contract these groups to see if they can perform for your event, please contact
Peter Spaar for the Free Bridge Quintet
John D'earth for the UVA Jazz Ensemble
Mike Rosensky for the Jazz Small Groups.