More than 50 years after the first ever purely jazz program headlined by Dizzy Gillespie and his 18-piece orchestra made an impression on Vincent Rogers '49 and fellow jazz enthusiasts at Cornell, the visit by Wynton Marsalis to Cornell last spring had a similar impact on this generation of young musicians.
A Cornell Alumni Magazine story discusses the history of jazz at Cornell, and the musicians who've passed through.
At the time Rogers came to Ithaca, "Cornell was a hothouse for jazz, and I just walked right into it," Rogers said. At age 91 now, Rogers still plays saxophone every day.
Read the full Cornell Alumni Magazine article here.