UF School of Music (SoM) graduate and Brooklyn-based performer Jason Prover (BMus ’09) is returning to Gainesville Friday, December 9th, with his band The Hot Sardines. The jazz group will perform at the Phillips Center on the southern leg of their national tour.
The Hot Sardines have been called “one of the best jazz bands in NY today” by Forbes magazine, and their two albums have been released to much critical and commercial success. But Prover, who plays the trumpet for the band, is excited to come back to Gainesville, where he first started learning how to become a musician.
“Being able to study with people like Dr. Joyce Davis and Dr. Gary Langford really helped me understand just how serious a person could be about their craft,” Prover explains.
And while Prover has lived in and around the cultural hub of New York City for years now, he still remembers the Gainesville community fondly, especially for its support of music and the arts.
“I found playing around the Gainesville music scene to be very rewarding,” Prover says. “I was so lucky to play in the band, Umoja Orchestra, and I’m looking forward to playing the UO reunion show in February.”
When asked what advice he would give to students currently in the SoM, Prover emphasizes the need to embrace what UF and the Gainesville community has to offer.
“Do as much as you can during your undergrad years, because you’ll never have more time than you do now,” Prover says. “Learn, listen, practice and play as much music wherever and whenever you can.”
To purchase tickets for The Hot Sardines December 9th show at the Phillips Center, visit: performingarts.ufl.edu/events/the-hot-sardines.
For more information about Prover and The Hot Sardines, visit their website: hotsardines.com.
