Jazz Ensembles

Jazz Ensembles are open to all UMass Amherst and Five College students (not just Music majors) by audition.

See below for audition information. Contact Prof. Holmes for more info about instrumental jazz ensembles. Contact Prof. Chakour for info about vocal jazz ensemble.

Visit the JAZZ STUDIES WEBPAGE. 

Spring 2026: 

REPLACEMENT AND NEW Instrumental Jazz Ensemble Auditions will be held on Thurs. Jan. 29 @ 12-2pm and 4:30-5:10pm in Prof. Holmes' office, Rm. 252 (except Drumset auditions, in Prof. Giampietro's office, 149M).
NOTE: If you played in these ensembles in Fall '25, you DO NOT have to re-audition unless there is another chair available that you want to move into.
Jazz Ensemble audition info sheet & instrumental music (in Google drive folder)
Parts from "All of Me" by Seymour Simons & Gerald Marks, arr. Thad Jones
Listen to "All of Me" on YouTube

Sign-up for an instrumental jazz ensemble audition time.

If you have questions, please contact Jazz TA Brandon Bambino at @email. You may also contact Prof. Holmes or Prof. Giampietro with any questions about auditions.

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Vocal Jazz Ensemble (Mitch Chakour, director).
Course #579, meets MW 10:10-12:05; F 10:10-11 in Rm. 44
Info sheet (pdf).  Auditions: Open call during class time with the whole group together, Fri. Jan. 30, 10:10-11 and Mon. Feb. 2, 10:10-12:05 in Rm. 44. Or to schedule another time, please contact Prof. Chakour, @email or 413-374-7510.

Ensemble descriptions

Jeffrey W. Holmes.

for info about Instrumental Jazz Ensembles

Jeffrey W. Holmes

Professor, Director of Jazz & African American Music Studies, Composition, Conductor

Holmes plays keyboards with the Paul Winter Consort, leads the Jeff Holmes Big Band featuring his wife, vocalist Dawning Holmes, and plays lead trumpet with the New England Jazz Ensemble. Recent recordings as performer and/or composer/arranger include the Jeff Holmes Quartet release "Of One's Own," the New England Jazz Ensemble’s “Peter and The Wolf“, HGTS’s “…and then they played…” and projects by Paul Winter, colleague Felipe Salles, and Earl MacDonald. He continues to appear as a guest conductor/clinician/adjudicator and performer/composer/arranger.
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Mitch Chakour

for info about Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Mitch Chakour

Director of Vocal Jazz Program; Interim Lecturer

Mitch Chakour is a keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist, song-writer and arranger. You may have recently seen him sit in on keyboards with the Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Green River Festival and Red Rocks in Colorado...or with Warren Haynes at the Calvin Theater.

Mitch was Joe Cocker’s music director, keyboardist and vocalist in the 70’s and 80’s. He has toured with The J. Geils Band singing with Peter Wolf, opening the House of Blues and performing at Fenway Park in Boston along with Aerosmith. He played in the house band for Joe’s Place in Boston early in his career, where he played with the best of the blues: Howling Wolf, Big Momma Thornton, Hubert Sumlin, Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, Freddie King and many other blues’ greats. He has a diverse resume that includes dates with B.B. King, James Brown, Bonnie Raitt, Chuck Berry, Buddy Miles, Matt Guitar Murphy, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Peter Wolf and he also is a member of Shaboo Allstars. Mitch’s Mission Band was an acclaimed regional band for many years.

Mitch has supported the musicianship and aspirations of many young musicians, who have gone on to successful careers in music.


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