When he first launched the Hilton Head Jazz Camp 15 years ago, founder James Berry didn’t know exactly what the camp would look like. He just knew he wanted to heighten his students’ appreciation of jazz. As director of fine arts for Hilton Head Christian Academy, he was blessed with a student body of highly talented musicians, and he’d been given the resources to create something special.
What the camp became over the ensuing decade-plus has exceeded Berry’s expectations of what it could become. With the support of the Masteller family and the musical community as a whole, the camp began attracting top-tier faculty like Grammy winner Charlton Singleton of Ranky Tanky, Les Paul Trio vocalist/bassist Nicki Parrott, and South Carolina Ambassador of Jazz Mark Rapp. It started drawing students from all over the country.
James Berry, founder of Hilton Head Jazz Camp
And now, 15 years in, it has given rise to a whole generation of former campers who are taking the music world by storm.
“I think there was one week when I was looking at who was playing on the south end (of Hilton Head Island) and it was Zach Stevens, Davis and Grayson Lentz and the Nice Guys, and Ben Hughey DJ’ing,” Berry said. “They’re all jazz camp kids, and seeing them around town becoming this new music scene is really cool.”
And those are just the alumni who stayed locally. Thanks to the camp’s huge draw beyond the Lowcountry, Berry has been pleasantly surprised to find former campers at all levels of the industry, from a New York City-based jazz radio DJ, to one of the lead trumpets for the University of Georgia’s Redcoats Marching Band, to an LA producer.
Davis Lentz
“They put in so much work,” Berry said. “Just having that one week where it sort of turbo charges what they’re doing is great.”
Those who have been fortunate enough to pass through the Hilton Head Jazz Camp on their way to music careers can tell you how valuable that one week is.
“I have a friend I play with who’s a great drummer and went to Berkeley, and we were sharing our high school experiences. I was talking to him and I realized how fortunate I am to have gotten that instruction,” said Davis Lentz. A full-time professional musician, playing his saxophone live and in the studio for a slew of different acts, he has seen how the camp helped prepare him for the real world.
Drew Lewis
“The staff is top notch. They’re all people who practice what they preach and live by what they do,” Lentz said. “You learn a lot of music theory and how songs work, but you also learn a lot of stuff they wouldn’t focus on in school band.”
Some graduates enjoy their time so much that they come back and teach. Mabel Safe began her jazz camp journey in elementary school and continued all through high school. She now works with Berry, running the residential staff program for students who travel to camp.
“She hangs out with the kids, takes them to all the activities and manages everything,” Berry said. “Plus, she manages our social media. She’s awesome.”
Zach Stevens
Safe is now a senior at the University of Miami, studying music therapy with a minor in psychology, but she always jumps at the chance to come back to camp. “That was always the highlight of my summer, and my sister is in her last year of high school so she loves it,” she said. “Because I grew up here and was never one of the overnight kids, it’s given me an entirely new perspective on the camp and the impact it makes. Plus, I feel like I was just learning all this stuff, so I bring that into it when I’m teaching theory.”
Berry has been able not only to help young musicians pursue their dreams, he’s been able to scout some of the students for talent. Drew Lewis was one of his earliest campers and is now a highly sought-after musician in a litany of bands, including one where he shares billing with his former camp leader. As members of Folderol, Berry and Lewis have kept the music going.
Mabel Safe
“Drew is just incredibly reliable, always has been,” Berry said. “He’s doing a million different things right now, playing in like 11 different bands, and he’s playing with us. He’s 30 now, so it is kind of funny to think of him as a former student, but he’s a heck of a player.”
“The camp was huge for building confidence for me,” Lewis said. “I’d always felt like I was late to the game because I didn’t start playing drums until I was a freshman, but James was so encouraging. It’s definitely a really important part of what made me the musician I am today, supplying me with fundamental skills in my early years that really helped shape me.”
It’s a common refrain from camp alumni. They realize not everyone gets a chance to spend one week a summer with actual working musicians, learning not just their instrument but also absorbing how the greater world of jazz operates.
“Jazz Camp was the single most informative and transformative week I’ve ever been a part of in my life,” wrote Zach Stevens, camp graduate and inescapable presence in the local music scene. “It’s unreal how much you learn about music and yourself in such a short time. The staff is world-class, and they pour into you with everything they have. … I walked away with friends that I now consider family and lessons in musical theory that I use full time as a gigging musician today. I wouldn’t want to know a version of myself that didn’t go to the Hilton Head Jazz Camp.”
