About the Camp Organizers

A summer camp where traditional jazz musicians gather to learn, play, and grow together in a friendly, inspiring setting.

We Are the Moldy Figs

...what the heck is a Moldy Fig?

In traditional jazz, "Moldy Figs" are fans and musicians who mostly prefer older styles of jazz, particularly New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City, or early 1920s styles. In the 1940s, this term was used by the modernists to describe what they considered stubborn jazz lovers who weren't as crazy about bebop, or what was eventually termed "Cool Jazz." (Traditional jazz was alternately dubbed "Hot Jazz.")

The organizers of the Bert Barr Trad Jazz Camp have adopted the moniker "The Moldy Figs" due to their appreciation of the older forms of jazz. They are members of the Eugene, Oregon jazz band, "Leo's Jammers."

Your hosts (the organizers of the jazz camp) are: Michele Piastro, Vicki Cox and Tim Prendergast. They wish to share their enthusiasm for trad jazz with fellow musicians, and feel a responsibility to carry on that tradition.