University of California Jazz Ensembles

University of California Jazz Ensembles
Dr. David W. "Doc" Tucker Director 1969–1985
Background information
Origin	Berkeley, California
Genres	Big bands, Combos, Instruction Pacific Coast Collegiate Jazz Festival
Years active	1967 (1967)– present
Website	ucjazz.berkeley.edu
Past members	Michael Wolff, Andy Narell, Susan Muscarella, Dave Le Febvre, Dave Meros, Kent Reed, Bill Aron, Dave Kopf, Cheryl Pyle, Scott Latham, Nic Ten Broeck

The University of California Jazz Ensembles, also known as the UC Jazz Ensembles, UC Jazz, or UCJE, is the student jazz organization founded in 1967 on the University of California, Berkeley, campus. Founded in 1967, it comprises one or more big bands, numerous jazz combos, a vocal jazz ensemble, an alumni big band, and instructional classes. With a mission statement to foster a community for the performance, study, and promotion of jazz at U.C. Berkeley, its Wednesday Night big band provides free concerts every Thursday noon on Lower Sproul Plaza, its various units perform throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including area high schools, travel to collegiate jazz festivals, and perform overseas, and for many years it sponsored the annual Pacific Coast Jazz Festival. It also provides master classes by its instructors and clinics by prominent guest artists. It has nurtured numerous musicians who have become professional jazz musicians and educators. UC Jazz Ensembles is one of three groups, with the Cal (marching) Band and UC Choral Ensembles, forming Student Musical Activities (SMA), a department within Cal Performances on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Its members are primarily U.C. Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, representing many academic disciplines.

Although a big band had existed briefly on the U.C. Berkeley campus in the late 1950s, the long-lasting UC Jazz Ensembles itself had its beginnings in 1966. The response was heavily loaded with guitar players and the project was put on hold. In 1967, Bob Docken, the first trombone player with the Cal Band and a respondent to the ad, followed Golden's lead and placed his own ad in the Daily Californian. The response was more favorable and with Rick Penner, a trumpet player in the Cal Band, rehearsals of the big band began on Sunday mornings in the Cal Band band room.

The first concert of the then-named ASUC Jazz Ensembles was in May, 1968, an event heralded by an article in The Daily Californian. The article included commentary by educator Dr. Herb Wong, Ph.D, a disc jockey at KJAZ-FM radio, jazz historian, jazz critic, album liner author, and jazz festival adjudicator, who was to form a lasting supportive bond with the UC Jazz Ensembles and a strong friendship based on common interests and mutual admiration with soon-to-be-named director David W. Tucker.

The UC Jazz Ensembles became an official student organization under the auspices of the Associated Students of the University California in 1971 with Dr. David W. "Doc" Tucker as its first director. Pianist Susan Muscarella was appointed to the position of Associate Director in 1974. Student interest led to the formation of three big bands, all under the direction of Tucker, with the Wednesday Night Band being the premier group.

Tucker also reached out to Milton Williams, the director of choral ensembles under student activities. Several jazz vocal groups were created, some of which performed with the UC Jazz Ensembles at various concerts, notably the spring concert.