Jazz/Pop Combos Directors Matt Shevitz, Jeremy Cunningham, Steve Ramsdell Latin Jazz Ensemble Director José Guzmán

About the Ensembles: The College of DuPage Jazz/Pop Combos perform songs from a wide variety of genres including jazz, pop, rock, punk, R & B and more. Members of the ensemble choose and arrange the repertoire and then work with the instructor to prepare the music for the stage. Combo alumni can be found gigging regularly around the Chicago area. Any genre of music welcomed. The Latin Jazz Ensemble is the newest addition to the COD Music Department! Directed by renowned guitarist Dr. José Guzmán, the group will focus on music from the Latin and Brazilian jazz repertoires.

About the Directors: Matt Shevitz is an in-demand musician in the jazz, blues, and popular music scenes of Chicago area. He has performed alongside such internationally renowned jazz musicians as Dick Hyman, Ignacio Berroa, Howard Levy, Frank Capp, and Frank Wess along with blues/roots rock guitarist Eric Lindell and Ropeadope Records artists Spare Parts. Shevitz has performed at Jazz in the Park Festival (Milwaukee), Waterfront Blues Festival (Portland), Chicago Blues Festival, Lollapalooza and House of Blues in Chicago.  Matt is a contributor to DownBeat Magazine since 2009 with articles analyzing transcriptions of great jazz solos as well as jazz theory and effective practice habits. Matt is a professor and the Director of Jazz Ensembles at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance degree from the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Master of Music in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern Univ. and a Bachelor of Science in Music from the Univ. of Oregon.

Jeremy Cunningham is a drummer, composer, and improviser. Originally from Cincinnati, he moved to Chicago in 2009, where he currently performs and composes as an integral part of the city’s vibrant music scene. Cunningham has performed with an impressive roster of luminaries such as Von Freeman, Jeff Parker, Mike Allemana, Marquis Hill, Caroline Davis, Nick Mazzarella, Greg Ward, Will Miller, Lane Beckstrom, and Dave Rempis. He can be heard on Resavoir’s eponymous debut on International Anthem, Marquis Hill’s albums New Gospel and Sounds of the City, Caroline Davis’s Live, Work, Play as well as on Nick Mazzarella’s Meridian Trio recording Triangulum. Chicago-based guitarist Steve Ramsdell performs commercial music, jazz classics, solo classical music, and original music as a leader. Some performance highlights include New Year’s Eve celebrations at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Ramsdell’s original music at SPACE in Evanston, performances with Spider Saloff at the Iridium in New York, and shows with Matt Geraghty at Ondojazz in Lisbon and the Chicago Jazz Fest. Ramsdell’s musical arrangements can be heard on Spider Saloff’s CD Like Glass, while his original compositions appear on his release Looking For… and his first CD Steve Ramsdell Group. As a teacher with decades of experience, Ramsdell works with all levels of guitarists, striving to help students develop the skills needed to pursue their musical goals. José Guzmán Borrero, a native of Ponce, Puerto Rico, is a multi-genre guitarist who has performed with jazz ensembles, chamber groups, and rock bands. He leads the Latin jazz group, The Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective, reflecting Guzmán’s musical heritage with rhythms from Puerto Rico, mixed with the sophistication of modern jazz. The ensemble’s fourth release, Cortadito, has been featured on jazz radio stations across the country, received glowing reviews from music critics, and listed among Puerto Rico's Best Albums of 2025 by the Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular, jazz journalist Wil Sostre, and Roots Music Report Top 50 Latin Jazz Albums of 2025. As a side man, he recorded on Dimitrije Vasiljevic's Accidental Nomad (released on Ropeadope Records), KASA Quartet’s Forever Wild Vol 1, and Mr. Chair's Better Daysamong others. He has received grants from the city of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, the Music Performance Trust Fund , the city of Urbana Arts Grant, and the Boulder County Arts Alliance Pathways to Jazz Grant. Guzmán holds an undergraduate degree from the Puerto Rico Conservatory in Jazz Guitar and Afro-Caribbean Music, a master’s degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Theory and Composition, and a doctorate degree (DMA) from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in Jazz Guitar Performance with a minor in Composition.