Jeff Rupert (born September 6, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist and professor at the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...

Career

Rupert received his master's degree in Jazz Studies from

Mason Gross School of the Arts Mason Gross School of the Arts ("Mason Gross" or "MGSA") is the arts conservatory at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mason Gross offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theater. Ma ...

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in 1993, and his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from

in 1987. He joined the Sam Rivers Band in 1996, recorded four albums with the band, and performed at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

for Ed Bradley's Jazz from Lincoln Center,

Vision Festival The Vision Festival is the world's premier festival of experimental music (typically free jazz/avant-garde jazz), art, film and dance, held annually in May/June on the Lower East Side of New York City from 1996 to 2011, in Brooklyn from 2012 to 20 ...

, and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. He played with

Ronnie Burrage Ronnie Burrage (born James Ronaldo Burrage October 19, 1959) is an American jazz drummer. His style draws from jazz, funk, and soul. Career He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Burrage sang in the St. Louis Cathedral boys' choir f ...

in 2004. He has worked with

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country musi ...

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "the Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arrangement, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roa ...

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson (November 11, 1928 – March 10, 2016) was an American jazz and blues singer. In a career spanning more than six decades, she recorded over 30 albums. She was nominated four times for a Grammy Award. She sang at Carnegie Hall, ...

Judy Carmichael Judy Carmichael (born Judith Lea Hohenstein, November 27, 1957) is a Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and vocalist who specializes in a form of early jazz called "Stride Piano". She has been honored as a Steinway Artist.Kenny Drew Jr.,

Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an Master of Business Administration, MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be ...

Joe Farnsworth Joseph Allen Farnsworth (born February 21, 1968, in Holyoke, Massachusetts) is an American jazz drummer. Farnsworth was one of five sons born to trumpeter and bandleader Roger Farnsworth; one of the brothers played saxophone in Ray Charles's ban ...

, Benny Green,

Kevin Mahogany Kevin Bryant Mahogany (July 30, 1958 – December 17, 2017) was an American jazz vocalist who became prominent in the 1990s. Particularly known for his scat singing, his singing style has been compared with those of Billy Eckstine, Joe William ...

, and

Michael Philip Mossman Michael Philip Mossman (born October 12, 1959) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Mossman's early career included a tour of Europe with Anthony Braxton in 1978 and tours with Roscoe Mitchell in the early 1980s. He also did session work in the ...

.Jeff Rupert
- AllAboutJazz.com At the University of Central Florida, he is the musical director of The Flying Horse Big Band, which began as the UCF Jazz Ensemble 1. He founded Flying Horse Records to promote the work of students and faculty. He has produced several records featuring his students in the UCF Jazz Ensemble 1. Their recording ''Jazz Town'' reached No. 43 on the ''JazzWeek'' chart. ''The Blues Is Alright'', the 2013 album, reached No. 35. He founded the band Jeff Rupert + Dirty Martini with which he recorded the album ''Save Your Love for Me'' (2004). He led The Jazz Professors, a sextet which had albums on the ''JazzWeek'' chart in 2012 and 2013. ''The Jazz Professors: Live at the UCF-Orlando Jazz Festival'' (Flying Horse, 2011) peaked at No. 19. Rupert founded and produced the UCF Orlando Jazz Festival, which has been broadcast by

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

on her ''Jazz Set'' program on Sirius/XM radio and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

. He was selected to perform in the Jaguar International Jazz Series in New Zealand where he worked with Joe La Barbera, Larry Koonse,

John Fedchock John William Fedchock (born September 18, 1957) is an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, and arranger. Early life and education Fedchock was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at Ohio State University and the Eastman School of Music at th ...

, and Tom Warrington. In 2024, he released the album ''It Gets Better'' with pianist

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...

, bassist

Peter Washington Peter Washington (born on August 28, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is a jazz double bassist. He played with the Westchester Community Symphony at the age of 14. Later he played electric bass in rock bands. He attended the University of Calif ...

, and drummer

, with critic Russell Perry writing, "Saxophonist Jeff Rupert brings

Stan Getz Stan Getz (born Stanley Gayetski; February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wis ...

to mind and a smile to my face. He has a very pure tone that sings in the upper register and uses vibrato only sparingly and to great effect by contrast."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rupert, Jeff Living people 1964 births American jazz saxophonists University of Central Florida faculty The Jazz Professors members