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Jazz Musicians in Demand

Mark Rapp
Mike Switzer/SC Public Radio

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but jazz is making a comeback in popularity not only across the country but here in our state, as well.  Which means that jazz musicians are also becoming more in demand, which is leading to the necessity for training and instruction.

Mike Switzer interviews Mark Rapp, founder of the ColaJazz organization which runs the ColaJazz Festival in Columbia, SC and the upcoming USC ColaJazz Camp.

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After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.