Jazz I Faculty Biographies
2012 faculty is listed below and subject to change.
Jeffrey Campbell
Program Director; Academy Band Director; Bass, Rochester, N.Y.
Dr. Campbell was recently appointed Department Chair off Jazz Studies & Contemporary Media at Eastman School of Music, Rochester, N.Y. where he is also collegiate Instructor in Jazz Double Bass and Jazz Combo & Improvisation. Fluent in both the jazz and classical idioms, Dr. Campbell performs with Marian McPartland, Gene Bertoncini, Rich Perry, Trio East, Harold Jones, and the Eastman Jazz Quartet, as well as being a member of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra bass section. He has performed at music festivals throughout Europe, and has also appeared in the former Soviet Union and the Baltic Republics. Dr. Campbell maintains an active career as a jazz educator. He is a regular contributor to the Double Bassist magazine, and is the Jazz Editor of Bass World, the official publication of the International Society of Bassists. Dr. Campbell's book on the famous Duke Ellington-Jimmy Blanton duets (in preparation for publication) provides bassist with an opportunity to study the bass playing of the great Jimmy Blanton.
Web site: http://www.esm.rochester.edu/faculty?id55
Phil Crews
Lab Band Director, Chicago, Ill.
Mr. Crews received both his bachelor's and master's degrees at VanderCook College of Music, Chicago, Ill. His successful band programs at Thornton High School and Rich High School have been recognized regionally and nationally. Mr. Crews also currently serves as director of the Prairie State Community Concert Band and free-lances in the Chicago area. He is in demand as a guest conductor clinician.
Jim Stombres
Studio Band Director, St. Charles, Ill.
Mr. Stombres holds a bachelorís of music education degree from Illinois State University, and a masterís in music education from Northwestern University. Mr. Stombres is the band director at St. Charles North High School. He has been a guest director and clinician at many district and state festivals.
Web page: http://scnmusic.com/content/jim-stombres
José Encarnacion
Advanced Combo Director (Ambassadors), Appleton, Wis.
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, José currently is a faculty member at the Lawrence Conservatory of music where he coordinates the jazz performance program, leads jazz improvisation classes, jazz combos and teaches jazz saxophone. He holds degrees from Berklee College of Music and Eastman School of Music where he served as Assistant Professor of Jazz Saxophone. Among many others, José has performed with Tito Puente, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Danilo Perez.
Brad Leali
Alto Saxophone, Denton, Tex.
Brad joined the University of North Texas faculty in 2008 as Professor of Jazz Saxophone. A native of Denver, CO, Brad holds degrees from North Texas and Rutgers University. Prior to his appointment at UNT, he served as head of the jazz program at Texas Tech University. Performance credentials include performing with and serving as musical director for the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra, membership in the Count Basie Orchestra, annually in the Kennedy Center Honors television program, and in bands backing numerous legendary artists.
Mike Lee
Tenor Saxophone, Montclair, N.J.
Mr. Lee has performed with the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Rosemary Clooney and many others. He also tours extensively under his own name, and has numerous CDs to his credit.
Web page: http://mikeleejazz.com
Joey Tartell
Trumpet, Bloomington, Ind.
Mr. Tartell is on the faculty of the Indiana University School of Music. He is also a freelance trumpeter and has played with the bands of Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman and Glenn Miller.
Web page: http://homepage.mac.com/lytartell/joey/page3/page3.html
Lennie Foy
Trumpet, Zionsville, Ind.
Mr. Foy is Professor of Trumpet at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind. As a freelance musician he has performed with Joe Williams, Oscar Peterson, Quincy Jones, Al Jarreau, James Moody, and Roland Hanna. Currently he records and tours as a member of the internationally acclaimed Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.
Web page: http://www.depauw.edu/music/people/faculty/foy.asp
Gil Wukitsch
Trumpet, Associate faculty, St. Charles, Ill.
Mr. Wukitsch currently teaches band, jazz band and AP Music Theory at St. Charles East High School in St. Charles, Ill. He has been involved with Birch Creek for more than 20 years, attending as a student, a TA and faculty member. Along with his busy teaching schedule, Mr. Wukitsch is active around the Chicago area as a clinician and trumpet player and has performed with artists such as Clark Terry, Harold Jones and The Manhattan Transfer.
Audrey Morrison
Trombone, Chicago, Ill.
Ms. Morrison is the Director of Jazz Studies at the Music Institute of Chicago. She performs and teaches with the Ravinia Jazz Mentors, and plays with the jazz sextet, SHE, Ars Viva, and the Lake Forest Symphony. She teaches at Columbia College and North Park University. Ms. Morrison is a clinician for Conn-Selmer.
Web page: http://www.musicinst.org/news-events/article/%092012/3/%09mic-jazz-studies-director-headlines-eths-jazz-cabaret-concerts
Tom Garling
Trombone, Chicago, Ill.
Mr. Garling toured with Buddy Rich at the age of twenty. In 1992, he joined Maynard Ferguson and soon thereafter became Maynard's musical director. He currently resides in the Chicago area and teaches at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts (CCPA), Roosevelt University and Northern Illinois University. Along with his busy teaching schedule, he performs with numerous jazz groups including the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Ensemble, the Woody Herman Orchestra, Frank Sinatra Jr. and the Chicago Yestet.
Web page: http://www.tomgarling.com
Michael Stryker
Piano, Macomb, Ill.
Michael Stryker is Associate Professor of Jazz Piano in the School of Music at Western Illinois University. He directs big bands and coaches jazz combos, teaches Appied Jazz Piano, Class Jazz Piano, Jazz Fundamentals, and Jazz History. He is currently a member of the Dale Hopper Faculty Jazz Sextet. Dr. Stryker received his Ph.D. from Eastman School of Music in 2010. He has performed with Freddie Hubbard, Jim Snidero, Robin Eubanks, James Moody, John Fedchock, Kim Richmond, Clay Jenkins, Gary Foster, Bob Mintzer and Joshua Breakstone.
Bob Chmel
Drum Set, Las Vegas, Nev.
Mr. Chmel graduated from Kent State University with a B.S. in education and a master's degree in performance. While at Kent State, Mr. Chmel became known for his drumming in the award-winning KSU Jazz Band, led by Bill Dobbins. Mr. Chmel also taught at all levels of education, including KSU, where he led the Jazz Band and also taught the first jazz history course offered at Kent State, utilizing his own materials of books and records from his rather extensive collection. To that end, Mr. Chmel has become the jazz historian of record at Birch Creek. Mr. Chmel also performed with the Akron and Canton Symphony orchestras. He has since performed the Glenn Miller Band, and the bands of Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Les and Larry Elgart, Tex Beneke, and the Woody Herman Orchestra. Mr. Chmel has toured extensively with Frank Sinatra Jr. for over thirty years. His studio work includes CDs, commercials, television events, and live stage performances. He now resides in Las Vegas, where he continues to perform.
Larry Brown
Guitar, DeKalb, Ill.
Mr. Brown completed his masters in jazz studies at Northern Illinois University in May 2010. He Currently performs with The Larry Brown Group.
