Biographies/Discographies

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Randy Hamm (Soprano Thrascher) is an Associate Professor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies at Southwest Missouri State University. Randy joined the faculty of SMSU in 1989, and his duties include applied saxophone, jazz improvisation, jazz arranging, and jazz ensemble. Randy is in demand as an artist/clinician and has recently been featured at Emporia State University, the University of Illinois, North East State University, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the University of New Mexico, Texas Wesleyan University, Roosevelt University, the University of Northern Colorado, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Pittsburg State University, Oklahoma State University, and has performed at numerous regional and national conferences of the North American Saxophone Alliance, the World Saxophone Congress, and the International Association of Jazz Educators. Randy received his Bachelor and Master Degrees from the University of North Texas. Randy Hamm is an Artist/Clinician for The Music Group and plays Keilwerth Saxophones.

Performance credits:

Popular Performers: Mel Torme, Harry Connick, Jr.,
Kenny Rogers, Neil Sedaka, Manhattan Transfer, Lucy Arnez,
Leslie Uggams, Lee Greenwood, The Temptations, The Four Tops.

Jazz Artists: Clark Terry, Slide Hampton, Buddy DeFranco, Bob
Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Louie Bellson, James Moody, Bobby
Shew, Bill Watrous, Frank Mantooth.

Recordings:

Lab ’89- UNT One O’clock Lab Band
Best of One O’clock- UNT One O’clock Lab Band
Outer Limits- Tom Andes Quintet
A Christmas Wish- Tom Andes Quintet
A Sound Thrasching- Thrascher
Another Sound Thrasching- Thrascher
Keilwerth Saxophone Sampler- Various Artists

Soon to be released:
Axes of Evil- Thrascher
All of Us- Texas All-Star Jazz Camp Faculty Big Band

Tim Ishii (alto Thrascher) earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from the University of North Texas. He has served on the faculties at the University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington, Tarrant County College South Campus, Tarrant County College Northwest Campus, and is now Chairman of the Music Department at Texas Wesleyan University. In addition to being Chairman, Tim’s duties include studio saxophone, freshman aural skills, jazz improvisation, chamber music and conducting the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble I. Tim has gained national and international recognition as an artist/clinician and jazz educator. In January of 1995, he led a jazz quintet to Russia, where he performed and taught in Samara, Saratov, and Moscow.

For the past eleven years he has served as Music Director of the Lonestar International/ Pinkpop Jazz Exchange, a cultural exchange between, Germany, Texas, and Los Angeles. In addition, Tim has taught and performed on numerous jazz camps/workshops throughout the United States alongside some of the nation’s leading jazz educators and performers. He maintains a busy freelance schedule in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and is sought after as an artist and clinician.

Tim has recorded with the University of North Texas One O’clock Lab Band, Dallas Jazz Orchestra, Pete Petersen’s Collection Jazz Orchestra, and the Rick Stitzel Big Band. He has also performed with the Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Tulsa Philharmonic, Dallas Wind Symphony, and Texas Wind Symphony. He has worked with artists such as: Natalie Cole, Clark Terry, Doc Severinsen, Ray Charles, Mel Torme, and Maureen McGovern.

Tim is an artist/clinician for Cannonball Musical Instruments and plays an A1-SLS alto saxophone.

Glenn Kostur (Baritone Thrascher) is an Associate Professor and the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of New Mexico where his duties include conducting the UNM Jazz Bands, teaching Improvisation, Composition & Arranging, and coaching Jazz Combos. For three years Glenn was saxophonist, composer/arranger and musical director for Maynard Ferguson, touring throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan, and with whom he appeared on three recordings. Glenn’s compositions and arrangements have been published by Warner Brothers, Doug Beach and UNC Jazz Press and he has also been a contributing writer to Jazz Player Magazine. Glenn often serves as guest artist, clinician and adjudicator at jazz festivals and concerts throughout the US. In recent years he has conducted all-state jazz groups in Nevada, Kentucky, Kansas, South Dakota and New Mexico. Glenn is a graduate of the University of North Texas (B.M. Jazz Studies- Performance) and DePaul University (M.M. Jazz Studies- Composition). Glenn Kostur is a Performing Artist and Clinician for Boosey & Hawkes and performs on Keilwerth saxophones and Rico reeds.

Recordings:

Another Sound Thrasching- Thrascher

A Sound Thrasching- Thrascher

Diggin’ In- Jazz Members Big Band (Chicago)

Sophisticated Lady- Frank Mantooth Jazz Orchestra

Footpath Cafe- Maynard Ferguson

Live From London- Maynard Ferguson

Big Bop Nouveau- Maynard Ferguson

Thank You, Leon- Dallas Jazz Orchestra

Performance Credits:

Jazz Artists: Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Al Hirt, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Louie ellson, Randy Brecker, Bob Mintzer

Popular Performers: Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Olivia Newton-John, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Lawrence, Edyie Gormé, Wayne Newton, Diann Carroll, Debbie Boone, The Temptations, Mary Wilson and the Supremes, Tommy Tune.

Edward Petersen is the Associate Chair of Music and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at the University of New Orleans. He teaches Applied Saxophone, Jazz Improvisation and directs ensembles. He has played with J.J. Johnson, Johnny Griffin, Clifford Jordan, Wilbur Campbell, Jay McShann, Lionel Hampton, Henry Butler, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Ira Sullivan, Eddie Harris, David Liebman, Ellis Marsalis, Ernie Watts and many others. He has recorded with Ron Carter, Cedar Walton, Clark Terry, Art Farmer, Willie Pickens, Von Freeman, Fareed Haque, Ramsey Lewis, Frank Mantooth, Johnny Adams, and Ruth Brown. His playing and musical compositions are featured on numerous other recordings, including three Grammy-nominated Blue Note CD’s by Kurt Elling, Close Your Eyes, The Messenger, and Live in Chicago and several releases under his own name on the Delmark label, Upward Spiral, The Haint, and Von and Ed, which also features the legendary Chicago saxophonist, Von Freeman. He produced, edited, mastered, and performed on a new CD featuring Jason Marsalis and Brian Seeger entitled Finger to the Universe (Lakefront Digital Records). He also co-produced, edited, mastered, and performed on a new CD by the Thrascher Saxophone Quartet, entitled Another Sound Thrasching (self-released…soon to be available at www.thrascher.com). He also composed and arranged seven pieces for this disc, one of which, The Cryptic Suite, was performed at the World Saxophone Congress in July, 2000.

Mr. Petersen is an Artist/Clinician for Boosey & Hawkes/Julius Keilwerth Saxophones. He has recently been featured in workshops and performances at the University of Illinois, University of New Mexico, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Texas Wesleyan University, Roosevelt University, Prairie State College, the Rotterdam Conservatory, Collin County Community College, Prairie State College, Southwest Missouri State University, the Texas Music Educators Association convention, The Louis Armstrong Summer Jazz Camp (New Orleans), and the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He received a Louisiana Division of the Arts Artist Fellowship in Music Performance in 2002 and has received Special Composer’s Awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) seven times (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003).

DISCOGRAPHY

Adams, Johnny: One Foot in the Blues. Rounder CD2144

Allen, Jackie: Never Let Me Go. Lake Shore Jazz LSJCD 005

Atwood, Eden: Today. Southport SSD 0015

Bennett, Don: Sleeping Giant. Southport SSD 0012

Brown, Ruth: R+B=Ruth Brown. Bullseye Blues CD BB 9583

de Clouet, Theryl: The Houseman Cometh. Bullseye 11661-9637-2 (as arranger and performer)

Elling, Kurt: Live In Chicago. Blue Note 7243 5 22211 2 7

Elling, Kurt: The Messenger. Blue Note 52727

Elling, Kurt: Close Your Eyes. Blue Note 30645

Freeman, Von and Petersen, Ed: Von and Ed. Delmark DE-508

Fricano, Guy: The New York Sessions. A.F.P. GF 81242 with Ron Carter and Cedar Walton

Goode, Brad: The Shock of the New. Delmark DS 440

Gray, Larry: Solo and Quartet. Premonition 001

Griffin, Francine: The Song Bird. Delmark DE 512

Haque, Fareed: Voices Rising. Pangaea 42156

Hobgood, Laurence: Left to my own devices. Naim CD 049 (as composer)

Jazz Members Big Band: Diggin' In. Sea Breeze SB 2049

Jazz Members Big Band: May Day. Sea Breeze SB 2014

Jazz Members Big Band: Live at Fitzgerald's. Sea Breeze SB 2028

Luchowski, Larry: Shadowplay. Lakeshore Jazz LSJCD 006

Mantooth, Frank: Dangerous Precedent. Sea Breeze SB 2046 with Ramsey Lewis

Mantooth, Frank: Persevere. Optimism OPCD 3229 with Clark Terry

Mantooth, Frank: Suite Tooth. Optimism OPCD 3217 with Louis Bellson, Art Farmer and Bobby Shew

Manuel, Phillip: Swingin' In the Holidays. Glad-Man 001

Moore, Robert: Serve You, Ma'am. RomoMusic 003

Morrissey, Bill: Songs of Mississippi John Hurt. Philo 1216

New Orleans CAC Jazz Orchestra: Mood Indigo. Rounder CD2145

Pemberton, Roger: Chicago Jazz. Central Park Jazz (no number available)

Petersen, Edward: Upward Spiral. Delmark DE 445

Petersen, Edward: The Haint. Delmark DE 474

Petersen, Edward: Jazz South. Southern Arts Federation SAF 17

Petersen, Edward, Seeger, Brian, and Marsalis, Jason: Finger to the Universe. Lakefront Digital Records LFD-2-002

Shellene, June: The Lost Art of Love. Waterhole Music 11112-8

Simon, Fred: Usually Always. Windham Hill WH 1071

Thomas, Irma: Sing It!. Rounder CD2152

Thrascher: A Sound Thrasching. MP3.com DAM CD 53792

Thrascher: Another Sound Thrasching. (self-released)

Various Artists: Jazz: the Language of New Orleans Volume 2. Louisiana Red Hot Records 9102

Various Artists: Keilwerth Saxophone Sampler. (promotional disc)

Wertico, Paul: The Yin and the Yout. VeraBra 2150 2 (As composer)

Yonely, Jo Belle: Sessions with Friends. Self-produced

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