Masterclass Series: Demystifying Jazz
The Margaret Stewart Lindsay "Masterclass Series" is proud to present
its first masterclass of the 2026-2027 season: “Demystifying Jazz,” an interactive lecture, combined with performance.
Date: Sunday, November 1, at 2:00 pm
at the Wayland High-school
264 Old Connecticut Path, Wayland, MA 01778
Pianist Neil Olmstead and guitarist Phil Sargent team up to discuss and demonstrate how accessible this music can be, challenging assumptions that jazz is elusive and opaque. Beginning with Miles Davis’ mid-50s period, known as “cool jazz,” and continuing to present-day jazz, they will discuss the origins of the repertoire, the forms of jazz standards, and aspects of the soloist’s vocabulary. Participants will learn how to track the form of a jazz tune and listen intelligently to improvised solos. Phil and Neil will be joined by bassist Greg Loughman and drummer Austin McMahon. Come enjoy an afternoon of fine music, while learning how to uncover the mysteries of jazz.
Neil Olmstead is a Wayland-based jazz pianist, composer, and educator. He is retired from Berklee College of Music, Boston, where he taught for over 50 years. Neil has been a Distinguished Fellow at Hambidge Center for Arts and Sciences in Rabun Gap, Georgia, and he has delivered lectures at The International Association of Jazz Educators and The University of Padua.
An alumnus of Boston Conservatory of Music, Neil earned a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music, a Master of Music from New England Conservatory, and Diploma from the Écoles d'art américaines under the direction of Nadia Boulanger.
Performances include the Umbria Jazz Festival, The Jimmy Giuffre Quartet, The Moody Blues, his own trio Symbiosis, and a ten-year solo piano residency at the renowned Plaza Bar in the Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston. There he shared the stage with Teddy Wilson, Dave McKenna and Adam Makowicz, and Dardenelle, among others.
Original compositions range from jazz works to classical art songs to orchestral pieces. Recordings include Colaboração, a jazz duo album with guitarist Scott Free, and Secrets of Ferns, a classical song cycle. Orchestral works have been recorded by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bratislava Radio and Television Orchestra.
Publications include Solo Jazz Piano: The Linear Approach, published by Hal Leonard/Berklee Press.
Presently Professor Emeritus of Piano, Berklee College of Music, Neil remains active in the New England jazz scene, including as Artistic Director, Berklee Faculty Jazz Series, for the non-profit organization Arts Wayland.
Phil Sargent has worked with a number of prominent musicians, including David Liebman, Antonio Sanchez, Jerry Bergonzi, John Lockwood, Fernando Huergo, Bruno Raberg, Bob Moses, Matt Wilson, Phil Grenadier, Yosuke Inoue, Thomson Kneeland and others. He studied at the University of New Hampshire and in New York city with critically acclaimed guitarists Ben Monder, and Brad Shepik.
Phil leads his own group, whose compositions draw from a variety of influences, most prominently the odd meters and eastern tonalities of ethnic Balkan music and modern jazz improvisation. In 2002, Phil released his debut album, “For Carl,” followed by his second release in 2010, “A New Day,” and his third release in 2023, “Sons”. For his fourth recording, he released a solo guitar album titled “Solo Motions”.
“A New Day,” Sons,” and “Solo Motions” have all received critical acclaim. In addition to writing for his own group, he composes and has released recordings with the genre-bending groups Iskar and The Industrious Noise Trio. Phil also performs nationally as a sideman in the Sonic Explorers, Bruno Raberg Nonet, Rick DiMuzio Quintet, Mehmet Ali Sanlikol Jazz Orchestra, John Funkhouser Quartet, Brooke Sofferman Perspective, and a variety of other ensembles ranging from straight-ahead jazz to the avant-garde.
After studying Jazz Performance and Composition at the University of New Hampshire Phil, has since enjoyed a full roster of private students in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. In addition, Phil has been an active clinician, teaching improvisation and performance master classes at various colleges and high schools throughout New England.
Welcome to the series of masterclasses offered by Arts Wayland, thanks to a generous grant from the Margaret Stewart Lindsay Foundation.
The Masterclasse in the series are FREE for Arts Wayland members and students. Otherwise, tickets are $25 per person.
You can join Arts Wayland here: Membership – Arts Wayland