Jazz Arts has been blessed with a constant parade of quality area musicians that have grown into a musical organization that is respected nation-wide. JAG has presented more than 70 regional and nationally acclaimed jazz vocalists and instrumentalists. For this pictorial history we will present only a few highlights.
During the 1991–92 season, Jazz Arts presented just two concerts, and only one with a guest artist. Beginning in the 1992-93 season JAG expanded to three concerts and featured former Buddy Rich pianist Bobby Peterson, Arts Midwest Jazz Award winner tenor saxophonist Irv Williams and Twin Cities vibraphonist Jimmy Robinson.
In November 1993, Jazz Arts presented its first full day student Jazz Band Workshop. This workshop program has evolved into the current very popular Earlybird Student Workshop. Also during the 1993-94 season, Jazz Arts initiated the Guest Artist Free Clinic Program, which featured clinics by tenor saxophonist Dave Karr, Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson and former Stan Kenton trumpet star Jay Sollenberger. Since that season, Jazz Arts has presented fourty one free Guest Artist Clinics and eight Earlybird Workshops
In 1997, just in time for the big Red River flood and blizzard, JAG began its program of presenting a series of jazz vocalists. That list is formidable and includes Marlena Shaw, Kevin Mahagony, Connie Evingson, Freddy Cole, Laura Caviani, Lucia Newell, Carmen Bradford and Rachel Caswell.
It had become apparent many of the presenters in jazz were not introducing its audiences to the superb group of women jazz personalities that were evolving. JAG thus set forth to open each season with a concert featuring Those Fabulous Women Of Jazz; Connie Evingson, Kathy Jensen, Mary Marshall, Irv Williams - 1993 aura Caviani, Ingrid Jenson, Sue Terry, Lucia Newell Deborhah Weisz,Christine Hitt and Karolina Strassmayer have been featured with the Jazz Arts Big Band.
The 1999–2000 season again brought expansion to the JAG Subscription Series with the addition of a fifth concert featuring Home Grown Jazz personalities. The concept was to open these concerts with the newly evolving Jazz Arts Area Youth Band and also to feature a jazz personality from the three state area. The first presentation featured former Fargoan Paul Severson in May 2000 and continued with North Dakotan Dennis Connelly in May 2001, Dick Hammergren in 2002 and Dave Hagedorn is 2003.
