Biography
Performance
Eugene Uman is the Director at the Vermont Jazz Center where, for 27 years, he has produced over three hundred concerts and overseen educational programming. While under Uman’s direction, the VJC received a CMAcclaim award from Chamber Music America, two resolutions of praise from the State of Vermont, a Jazz Hero Award from the Jazz Journalist’s Association, and an Arts Education Award from the Vermont Arts Council. Uman served as a Fellow in composition at the MacDowell Colony. He lived for 5 years in Medellín Colombia where he designed the curriculum at La Universidad de EAFIT. Uman currently teaches at VJC and Amherst College. Uman has performed with George Garzone, Donald Byrd, Nat Reeves, Freddie Bryant, Jerry Bergonzi, Sheila Jordan, Dave Stryker, Kevin Mahogany, Jay Clayton, Carlos Averhoff, Francisco Mela, and many others. He has released two albums of original music with his group, The Convergence Project which features compositions influenced by the rhythms of Colombia. Uman has appeared as a sideman on numerous recordings; three of his compositions were included on Sammy Figueroa’s Grammy nominated album, In Walked Sammy. Eugene’s work has been commissioned by the Big Band de Medellin, the Windham Orchestra, Juno Orchestra and the Pittsfield Jazz Festival.
A sample of Uman’s recordings include The Convergence Project, As Yet’s Strange But True, various projects with vocalists including Jill Connolly, Mark Anagnostopulos, Louise Taylor, Spencer Lewis and others. He can be found on recordings by Claire Arenius (When Worlds Touch You), Carlos Averhoff (unreleased), Estados Alterados, Derrik Jordan’s Braziliance and many others.
Composition
Uman has written over 150 jazz compositions that have been arranged for various musical ensembles ranging from big band to world music ensembles to rock. Three of Uman’s original compositions were recorded by Latin Jazz star Sammy Figueroa on his 2005 Grammy Nominated CD In Walked Sammy. Uman was commissioned by the Big Band of Medellín to create a composition entitled Blues para Urabá and by the Windham Symphony to create Prelude to Infinity. Uman served as MacDowell Colony Fellow in composition in March of 2011.
Administration and Concert Production
Uman has been director of the Vermont Jazz Center since 1997. During his tenure of the 501c3 non-profit, the Vermont Jazz Center has grown into an esteemed concert venue where performances by internationally recognized jazz artists are complemented by community outreach and educational programs including a renowned summer jazz workshop that attracts students from around the world. He is a co-founder of the EAFIT Jazz Festival which evolved into the Festival Internacional Medellín de Jazz.
Uman has produced over 250 Concerts for the Vermont Jazz Center with such notable artists as Roy Haynes, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Oscar Stagnaro, Luciana Souza, Soul Live, Henry Grimes, Kenny Wheeler, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, Jimmy Heath, Myra Melford, Sonny Fortune, John Abercrombie, Lee Konitz, William Parker Quartet, Vic Juris, Marilyn Crispell, Billy Bang, Avishai Cohen, Sheila Jordan, Bobby Sanabria, Jerry Bergonzi, Raphe Malik, Valery Ponomarev, Peggy Stern, Ben Monder, Attila Zoller, The Sun Ra Arkestra, Billy Pierce, James Williams, Badal Roy, Dave Liebman, Luis Perdomo, Daphnis Prieto, Yosvany Terry, George Mraz, Jovino Santos Neto, Robert Glasper, Gary Smulyan, Gretchen Parlato and many others.
Education, Teaching and Community Service
Uman received his masters in Jazz Performance and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Queens College in New York where he received a Eubie Blake Scholarship. He also attended advanced workshops led by Eddie Palmieri, Dave Liebman, Ran Blake and others. Uman has taught in New York City at the Third Street Music Settlement and in Medellín, Colombia at El Colegio de Musica, Universidad de Antioquia and Universidad EAFIT. He designed the curriculum and initiated the Jazz Studies program at the Universidad EAFIT. He currently teaches at the Vermont Jazz Center and is adjunct professor of music at Amherst College and Marlboro College. He has taught for ten summers at the Governor’s Institute of the Arts and Jazz Vermont, and is director of the Vermont Jazz Center Summer Jazz Workshop. Uman has taught classes and workshops in Jazz Styles (History), Jazz Theory, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Composition, Music Appreciation, Jazz Pedagogy, Jazz and Poetry and Jazz Piano.
Uman is active in his community and received a Community Person of the Month Award. He has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations, was a member of the Brattleboro Town Arts Committee for two years.