Jazz grads hit the road

In case you missed the online sidebar to the story about CCM's jazz ladies that ran Sunday, here's the link to meet CCM graduates Janelle Reichman, Misty Boyce and Jennifer Grantham, pictured. By the way, in the main story, Tina Raymond is the first prize winner this year of the Sisters in Jazz Award.

Also, be sure to look at the timeline, posted with the jazz grads sidebar. I'm not sure this history has ever been published anywhere. John DeFoor, who now runs the jazz program at Xavier University, gave me a call and said he was one of those students playing jazz under Nippert Stadium back in the 60s.

"Before CCM merged with UC, I was connected with the band program. We began doing jazz. I was a grad student at the time, jamming under Nippert Stadium," he says. His group blossomed into five jazz bands, including a concert band.

So that's the pre-history behind the founding of CCM's jazz department!