aboutus

Jane Hartman

Piano/Vocals

is a pianist, composer, and vocalist with the Jane Hartman Trio and the Riverboat 5+1 Dixieland band. She is multiple winner of the Illinois Times "Best Musician" award and Ms. Hartman also owns the Springfield Mayor's Award, Individual Artist category, in 1998. She has performed with and/or for numerous celebrities, including Dizzy Gillespie, Mel Torme, Juliet Prowse, John Pizzarelli, Bill Moore, Jeremy Davenport, The Chi-Lites, The Coasters, The Platters, the Springfield All-Star Big Band, and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The Jane Hartman Trio has performed on 2 tours in Japan as ambassadors for Springfield, IL’s sister city in Ashikaga City, Japan. The JHT performs 150 - 200 events per year and was featured in a WSEC video "North of New Orleans" that was played locally after Ken Burn’s "History of Jazz." Jane also hosted "Jazzfield,"a public television show which featured local jazz artists during the 1980’s. Ms. Hartman is also affiliated with The Fleming Academy of Springfield, IL. She has toured as a guest soloist and an accompanist with this Suzuki violin academy in England, performing for USA’s Armed Forces in 2002 and in Venice, Florence and Rome, Italy, culminating in a performance at Vatican City in April 2005. Jane performed a private performance with The Symphony Orchestra of Malta in Aix-en-Provence, France in August, 2005. Ms. Hartman was guest soloist with the Illinois Symphony in February, 2001, performing George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." Her orchestral composition "Twinkle", was debuted by the Illinois Symphony in December 2000. She composed Lincoln Land Community College's Alma Mater "Lincoln Land" in April 2002. She most recently composed a "Pledge Week Theme" for WUIS, Springfield’s local National Public Radio station. Ms. Hartman is the wife of Senior Pastor, Richard Kent Irwin at First Christian Church in Springfield, IL, where she directs "The Grateful Bread Band," a jazz praise band. She is the oldest of nine children and has 3 stepchildren. A sought after teacher, Ms. Hartman is Associate Professor of Music at Lincoln Land Community College, where she has taught since 1984. She teaches Music Theory classes and directs the "Lincoln Land Community College Jazz Band," as well as "The Stolen Moments Band," a beginning jazz improvisational class. Ms. Hartman was named "LLCC Faculty Woman of the Year" for 2005 and has twice been nominated for "The Pearson Master Teacher Award." She holds a Masters Degree in Classical Piano Performance from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois, Springfield. Her 1995 self-produced CD, entitled "Jane Hartman", became the best selling Jazz album for Webster groves Records in St. Louis, MO. Since then Jane has produced and released 3 more CD's: "Just You Imagine" -1999, "Rediscovered Treasures" -2000, "Tidings of Comfort and Joy -2004.. She is specifically known for her tasteful and inventive weaving of Classical piano compositional elements with standard jazz repertoire. Janehartman88@aol.com

Gene Haas

Bass
has degrees in music from the University of Wisconsin, Southern Illinois University, and additional graduate credits from the University of Illinois at Urbana, University of Illinois at Springfield, and Illinois State University. He is retired from Lincoln Land Community College where he was professor of Music Theory and Jazz Band and holds the title of Professor Emeritus. He has been conductor of the Springfield Municipal Band since 1978 and has done numerous arrangements for the band. He led the Municipal Band on a concert tour of Austria in 1990, performing in Vienna, Salsburg, and the American Music Festival in Graz. The band won the Mayor's award for Arts Organization in 1998. In past years he was principal trumpet with the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, currently known as the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Illinois State Fair Grandstand Orchestra which has backed numerous headliners. Gene has been bassist with the Jane Hartman Trio since 1987, and performed with her on all trio gigs, including two trips to Japan. He is also a member of the Riverboat 5+1 dixieland band.

Brian Justison

Drums

is Associate Professor of Music and Coordinator of Percussion Studies at Millikin University. His responsibilities include directing the critically acclaimed chamber and world percussion ensembles and teaching courseds in percussion pedagogy and drum set styles. His students include recent winners of the MTNA National Solo Percussion Competition and the Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble competition. His performance credits include the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, Canadian Brass, and the Brass of Illinois. He has also performed with a variety of leading jazz, latin, and pop artists including: Gene Bertoncini, Brian Bromberg, Warren Chiasson, Jeremy Davenport, Dardanelle, Cathy Gracia, John McNeil, and Marcus Roberts. He is currently the drummer for the Jane Hartman Trio. Mr. Justison is active as an adjudicator and clinician throughout the region with recent appearances at the United States Percussin Camp, the Midwest Percussion Camp, the IMEA/MENC All State Festival, and the Percussive Arts Society, Illinois Day of Percussion (1998-2000). He is the former president of the Illinois Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and a recent host of the PAS Illinois Day of Percussion. He is sponsored in part by Innovative Percussion Inc. bjustison@mail.millikin.edu