VAUGHN AMBROSE 

Vaughn Ambrose is a native of North Carolina and earned his BM in Music Education and MM in Jazz Studies at East Carolina University under the tutelage of his mentor, Carroll V. Dashiell as well as artist and distinguished professor, Bob Mintzer. Vaughn returns to campus often as an invited lecturer and performer. He has also been a featured conductor for the North Carolina Regional Honors jazz ensemble.

In addition to his celebrated career as an educator, and in demand soloist, Vaughn leads his own jazz quartet in the DC metro area and freelances up and down the east coast. He has performed at the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the JVC Jazz Festival in New York City and the International Association of Jazz Educators Convention. In March 2009, as a member of the group Alvin Atkinson and the Sound Merchants, Vaughn participated in an inspiring US state Department tour, where they performed and lectured in Afghanistan, Armenia, Iraq and Lebanon; the universality of music transcends all borders.

ERIC DAWSON 

Eric Dawson, a Kinston, NC native, has been surrounded by music his whole life. His father is a vocalist and guitarist that’s from Goldsboro, NC. When Eric was young, he was always in awe of all the local musicians that used to stop by his father’s house and jam for hours on end. He began playing keys at the very young age of 10 composing songs and listening to his father’s record collection. One artist that stood out to Eric was Grover Washington Jr. Grover was the sole reason that Eric picked up the sax at 11.

While in college at ECSU, he was asked to play a few dates with The Jazz Connection. The members at the time were Dennis Figgs, Wayne James, Kentric Morris, and CJ Mercer. Later on, Kentric and CJ joined Najee’s band in NY.

February 21, 2014, Eric and the Arts Council of Wayne County in Goldsboro, NC embarked on a joint venture to bring these legendary musical experiences back to Eastern NC and named it Wayne County Jazz Showcase. Season 1 featured artists that were from, grew up, lived, or have roots in NC. Eric continued the theme of the shows composition being of NC’s finest expanding his network to over 100’s bands and artists he’s connected to. January 2016, Eric stepped down from the board of ARTS NC to further his mission of expanding the Wayne County Jazz Showcase.

ABOUT CARROLL V. DASHIELL, JR.

The North Carolina Arts Council, Pitt County Arts Council, and the Greenville-Pitt Convention & Visitor's Bureau named Carroll V. Dashiell, Jr. Artistic Director of The African American Music Series in 2016. Carroll Dashiell is a native of Washington, DC. A graduate of Howard University, with citations in Who's Who in Music and Down Beat Magazine, Carroll has been recognized for excellence in the music industry as a bassist, musical director/conductor and also as a composer/arranger. Affectionately known as CVD, he has been involved in academia for more than three decades serving as professor of music at the Saint Mary's College of Maryland, University of the District of Columbia and East Carolina University in North Carolina. CVD is the producer and writer of A Tribute to Motown Records, (a stage show and concert that celebrates some of the African-American's cultural contributions to the music industry, staged in the tradition of the famous touring Motown Review) that is selling out theaters and venues nation-wide. In addition to composing, writing and arranging, CVD is continuing performance as jazz bassist and is very humbled to be the Founder and Director of the Dr. Billy Taylor Jazz Festival, named in honor of his mentor.