Jazz Fest XLII

Featuring guest artist, Tom Garling, Trombone, and the UW-Green Bay Jazz and Vocal Jazz Ensembles

Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Cofrin Family Hall, Weidner Center for the Performing Arts

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door
Call 920-465-2400 or www.uwgb.edu/music/events.asp

Tom Garling grew up with his family in Barrington, Illinois. It was evident at an early age that Tom was interested and talented in music. He played piano and guitar, fooled around with recorders and violins that his older brothers would bring home from school, played along with records and the radio, even banged out rhythms on the table, much to the annoyance of his family.

At Barrington High School, Tom won numerous awards at jazz band competitions and played trombone in the Illinois All-State Jazz Band two years in a row. He also started playing keyboards in local rock clubs at the age of fourteen.

Tom studied arranging and composition at Berklee College of Music from 1983 to 1985. At the age of 20, he left Berklee to tour with Buddy Rich for a year, which was the last touring band before Buddy died. Buddy once said of Tom in an interview in Stockholm, Sweden: "Tom Garling is going to have a very, very strong future in jazz."

In 1987, Garling enrolled at the University of Miami to earn a degree in Jazz performance and a Master degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging. He played with such greats as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, and Randy Brecker. Tom stayed a year after graduating to teach improvisation classes, direct big bands, and coach small groups. Then he joined Maynard Fergusons Big Bop Nouveau Band, and toured with Maynard as Musical Director and Trombonist for six years.

Along with his own album, “Maynard Ferguson Presents Tom Garling”, he is featured as soloist, composer/arranger, and guitarist on numerous Maynard Ferguson albums; “These Cats can swing”, “One more Trip to Birdland” (assistant producer), “Brass Attitude” (co-producer), Maynard with Tito Puente, “Special Delivery”, and Maynard with Dianne Schuur, “Swingin’ For Schuur”. Others albums include five with Frank Mantooth, “Suite Tooth”, ”Persevere”, “Dangerous Precedent”, “Sophisticated Lady”, and “A Miracle”. You can also hear him on a 1986 cd with Buddy Rich recording at Stadshalle Leonberg, Germany. His talents as arranger have been utilized by Maynard Ferguson, Liza Minelli, Tito Puente, and Dianne Schuur. He has also been commissioned to arrange and compose by numerous Professional, College and High School bands around the country.

Tom currently resides in the Chicago area, and is highly sought after around the world as a recording artist, composer and arranger, teacher, clinician and professional musician at any capacity.

If your school wishes to attend the evening performance, please make note of this on your registration form and send $5 for each student with your registration fee.