Our Mission

The Louisville Jazz Initiative (LJI) is a diverse, inter-generational coalition of musicians and educators committed to the authentic teaching and performing of jazz; that is, in a way that preserves the connection between the art form and its cultural and historical context, highlights the inherent value of each individual’s experience and expression, and empowers its participants to advocate for social and racial justice.

Our Vision

Executive Director and Director of Education, Dave Clark, discusses the power of music to illuminate truth, bring us together, and empower us to work for a better version of ourselves and our world.

Dave Clark

Executive Director and Director of Education

Dave Clark graduated with a BM in music education and a MM in jazz performance from the University of Louisville. He has had the good fortune to study with Harry Pickens, Don Braden, Wessell Anderson, John La Barbera, Sim Flora, and Branford Marsalis. Dave has performed with such diverse artists as Benny Golson, Clark Terry, Randy Brecker, Stanley Turrentine, James Moody, Kevin Mahogany, Harry Pickens, Nancy Wilson, Miles Griffith, the Louisville Orchestra, the Dells, Keke Wyatt, Don Braden and Delfeayo Marsalis. He has performed at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, as well as the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Montreaux, Switzerland. He also has performed at the Jazz Educators Network Conference and as part of a good will tour and educational exchange program in Barbados. Dave is a Yanagisawa Artist and makes his home in Louisville, KY, where he is the head of the Jazz Studies program at Bellarmine University. Dave's duties include teaching saxophone, jazz harmony, jazz history, improvisation, and directing Bellarmine's Nouveau Gumbo ensemble.

Follow Dave on instagram @daveclarkjazz

Kiana Del

Director of Communication and Teaching Artist

Kiana Del is a passionate vocalist, songwriter, and educator hailing from the valleys of Carrollton, KY. Throughout her early life, many fields were revealed to her, however music has always been the only calling that made her feel whole. Kiana uses music to tell the story of our complex humanity, and to foster a safe space for others to create freely without the barrier of judgement. She carries her knowledge over to the community by teaching vocal technique in her home studio, providing accessible virtual spaces to listen and learn, and by teaching community workshops on songwriting, the intersection between music and visual art, and general vocal health. She is the Engagement Manager for Music Education at Louisville Public Media by day and can be found performing her own compositions in local and regional venues with her band Kiana & the Sun Kings by night. Kiana strives to continue weaving the importance of community and activism into her music.

Follow Kiana on instagram @kianadelmusic

Joe Dunn

Composer in Residence and Musical Director

Dr. Joseph (Joe) Dunn is originally from El Paso, Texas and has lived in Louisville, Kentucky since 2008. He received his Bachelor's of Arts in Music from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, his Master's in Jazz Composition from the the University of Louisville and his Master's of Arts in Teaching from the University of the Cumberlands. Most recently, he completed his Doctoral of Music Arts in Composition at the University of Kentucky. Joe teaches orchestra at Southern High School as well as music theory at Simmons College of Kentucky. Doctor Dunn is also Director of Music for Refuge in Kentucky Church, the Choir Director for the Interdenominational Union of Choirs in Louisville, KY., and the primary conductor and arranger for Your Friendly Neighborhood Big Band (YFNBB).

Chad O'Brien

Operations Manager and Teaching Artist

Chad has been playing trombone for about 20 years, earning a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from the Eastman School of Music and Masters of Music degrees in both Instrumental Music (Trombone) and Jazz Performance from the University of Louisville. Primarily a sideman, he has been very fortunate to play with quite a few great bands including the Louisville Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Gil Evans Centennial Project, Eastman Wind Ensemble, Dave Rivello Ensemble, and even a couple internationally reknowned bands: Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Chad is also an experienced music educator with a passionate curiosity for how people learn music. He currently serves as Lecturer at the University of Louisville and maintains a private studio of brass and jazz musicians. Additionally, Chad is an active participant in the music education community, having presented clinics at the Illinois Music Educators Conference (IMEC), the Indiana Music Educators Association (INMEA) Professional Development Conference, and the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) In-Service Conference. He has also written articles for NAfME publications, including 'Teaching Music' magazine and several online publications.

Trevin Little

Teaching Artist

Trevin Little is a saxophonist and instrument repairman in Louisville, KY. A prolific performer, Trevin is a member of Kiana and the Sun Kings, Joslyn and the Sweet Compression, Unusual Heat, Casey Powell and Friends, and others. Originally from Robinson Creek, KY, Trevin moved to Louisville after completing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance at Morehead State University in 2012. In addition to his work as a freelance musician, Trevin is an experienced restauraunt cook and enjoys smoking meats for his friends.

Follow Trevin on instagram @trevsax

Jailynn Noel

Teaching Artist

Jailynn Noel is a bassist and music therapist based in Louisville, Kentucky. She graduated from the University of Louisville in 2021 with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Therapy and Jazz. In her fifteen years of applied study on bass, Jailynn has had the opportunity to play with many well-known artists including Bobby Floyd, Jamey Aebersold, and the Louisville Orchestra. Her study of jazz has taken Jailynn across the globe to Columbia, Ecuador, and China. A former central Ohio resident, she graduated from Gahanna Lincoln in 2016 and was a member of the Columbus Youth Jazz Orchestra from 2012-2016, with whom she performed at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in New York City. Having completed her undergraduate studies, Jailynn plans to start her music therapy internship and prepare for the board certification exam.

Zack Kennedy

Teaching Artist

Zack Kennedy received a BM in Jazz Performance from University of Louisville, where he had the opportunity to study in Brazil and tour Ecuador. He is an active freelancer in the Louisville, KY area and current member of Curio Key Club, Small Time Napoleon, Squeeze-bot, and Hot Sauce Brass Band. You may have seen him with CABIN, Bridge 19, Carly Johnson, Rob Nickerson, among others.

Follow Zack on instagram @zesty__koolaid

Gabe Evens

Teaching Artist

Gabe Evens is the Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano, Composition and Arranging at the University of Louisville, Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program. He has performed throughout the United States and in Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, and France and has played with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, the University of North Texas Symphony and Concert Orchestras, the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band, and the University of Miami Concert Jazz Band.

As an arranger and composer, Evens has released seven CDs of original music, written commissions for Sheena Easton and Kate McGarry with the Cape Symphony Orchestra, and for Nneena Freelon with the John Brown Big Band. He has had numerous compositions performed by chamber and large ensembles including the Louisville Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfónica de Loja, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra to the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band.

Evens is a faculty member of the prestigious Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops, a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, holds an MA in Jazz Piano Performance from the University of Miami, and a DMA in Performance, major in Jazz studies (composition emphasis) from the University of North Texas.

Genesis Smith

Teaching Artist

Born and raised in Clarksville, Indiana, Genesis began playing the saxophone in middle school at the age of twelve. He is a 2021 graduate of Jeffersonville High School; while at Jeffersonville High, he was very active in sports and band, where he participated in Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA).Through ISSMA, Genesis received a gold with distinction award as a sophomore, and a perfect score with distinction his junior year. In his senior year, Genesis was presented with the Louie Armstrong Award in Jazz Studies.

Genesis is very engaged with the local music community as a member of The Academy of Music Production Education and Development (A.M.P.E.D.) and the Kentuckiana Association of Musicians and Singers (KAMS). He has attended several of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops and Camps at the University of Louisville where he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. An active freelancer throughout the Louisville Metropolitan Area, Genesis plays weddings, church services, and many private gigs. In addition to performances with Lousiville Jazz Initiative and the University of Louisville Jazz Ensembles, you can hear Genesis with his band “Isotope”.

When not playing or practicing, Genesis enjoys being an active member of his Church, where he volunteers feeding and helping the transitioning and homeless. He is also very close to his grandmother, who is his greatest supporter, and enjoys attending local community events with her.