Dr. Nick Weiser (at piano) works with Eric Scott Reed in Los Angeles in August.
Dr. Nick Weiser has been on a journey – a jazz journey, thanks to receiving a significant award.
Dr. Weiser, an associate professor and coordinator of jazz on the Fredonia School of Music faculty, was one of four 2024 recipients of the John Stites Jazz Award (JSJA) from by the John Stites Jazz Artist Organization, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) honoring the memory of Mr. Stites and his passion for jazz music.
The organization funds advanced studies for emerging jazz musicians, as well as personal development projects which enhance their career opportunities.
Many of the pianists I’ve worked with emphasize community, mentorship, and resilience, and those themes have become central in my own teaching. This project allows my students to feel connected to the broader jazz world in a very real and immediate way.” - Dr. Nick Weiser
Weiser’s study project, “Lessons with the Legends of Jazz Piano,” is allowing him to study this academic year, during which he is on sabbatical, with contemporary jazz piano legends who are currently shaping the idiom. The project is designed to harness the insights and explore the pedagogy of the jazz artists as influenced by their communities.
To date, he has worked with 21 pianists in New York City, Boston, Montreal, Los Angeles, Portland, OR; Kansas City, Kalamazoo, MI, and Appleton, WI. Weiser noted that the project has grown substantially since its inception and “many of the artists I’ve met have generously helped connect me with additional pianists who were previously out of reach or not yet on my radar.” In addition to returning to cites already visited, he is adding Seattle and New Orleans to his itinerary, and artists will include Marc Copland, Bobby Floyd, Yoko Miwa and a number of other performers.
Weiser feels the benefits to his jazz students are many, noting, “This sabbatical has already transformed the way I teach. Each pianist brings a distinct lineage, methodology, and artistic identity, and being able to study with them one-on-one gives me access to approaches that are rarely documented or codified.
I’m bringing those insights directly back to my students — new ways of hearing harmony, new strategies for improvisation, and new expectations for what it means to build a personal sound. Beyond the musical concepts, the students will also benefit from the stories, histories, and values of these artists. Many of the pianists I’ve worked with emphasize community, mentorship, and resilience, and those themes have become central in my own teaching. This project allows my students to feel connected to the broader jazz world in a very real and immediate way.”
Weiser also plans to author an article exploring how these pianists’ communities influence their music, so that he can share these perspectives with the broader jazz community. Through this journey, he seeks to make a meaningful, lasting contribution to the music.
The applications were scored by an independent Review Committee composed of professional jazz musicians with national and international experience. JSJA has awarded over $330,000 in the last five years, and since 2024 began focusing on Artistic Development awards. As noted on the organization’s website the awards are designed to provide funding to enhance the career opportunities of innovative established and emerging jazz musicians. It received a record 95 applications for the 2024 awards and nearly 20 percent of the applicants scored more than 80 out of 100 points.
