Meet the Ensemble

Dan Nicholson, Alto Saxophone

Born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dan Nicholson studied saxophone at the University of South Florida before moving to University of North Florida, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies under legendary educator (and former Chicagoan) Bunky Green. He is currently finishing postgraduate work in jazz composition at DePaul University, where he studies with fellow CJE member Thomas Matta (see below). Mr. Nicholson teaches at Near North Montessori and is the musical director for Front of House, the popular Chicago event band. He also plays in numerous Chicago jazz units, and has recorded as a featured soloist with the Jazz Ensembles at both USF and UNF; with the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble and the Model Citizens Big Band; and most recently with Chicago trumpeter Greg Duncan (on OA2 Records).

Jarrard Harris, Alto Saxophone

A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Jarrard Harris began his music studies at the age of 10 and graduated from the city’s Youth Performing Arts School. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Studies/Saxophone from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, interned with Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, and then moved to Chicago in 1998 to study at DePaul University, where he received his Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies in 2003. Mr. Harris has performed with many internationally renowned artists, including trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Claudio Roditi, saxophonists Jimmy Heath and Joe Lovano, vocalist Claudia Acuña, composer-arrangers Slide Hampton and Maria Schneider, and The O’Jays. He currently teaches at Trinity International University, as well as Highland Park, Hinsdale South, and Hinsdale Central High Schools. Mr. Harris is a mentor and educator in the CJE’s annual Louis Armstrong Legacy Program and Celebration.

Pat Mallinger, Tenor Saxophone

Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Pat Mallinger graduated from the world-famous jazz program at North Texas State University and finally settled in Chicago in 1990, after stays in Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, and Japan, and a stint on the road with the Artie Shaw Orchestra. In addition to his work with the CJE, Mr. Mallinger holds the longest “steady” gig in Chicago jazz: Saturday nights and Sunday mornings at the Green Mill, where he has co-led the two-tenor quartet Sabertooth for 18 years. He can also be heard in several other working bands, including the Model Citizens Big Band, and leads his own quartet with world-famous pianist Bill Carrothers. Mr. Mallinger is an original member of the Ravinia Jazz Mentor program and mentors underserved inner-city youth through performances and clinics in Chicago high schools. He has made several recordings, the most recent being Dragonfish on the Chicago Sessions label. Mr. Mallinger is a mentor and educator in the CJE’s annual Louis Armstrong Legacy Program and Celebration. For more information please visit patmallinger.com.

Rob Denty, Tenor Saxophone

Originally from Brunswick, Georgia, Rob Denty got his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the University of North Florida, where he studied with Bunky Green (whom he credits with shaping his jazz concept). Mr. Denty then came to Chicago to earn his Master’s in Saxophone Performance at DePaul University. A busy educator, he is the woodwind instructor at St. Rita High School, conducts clinics and workshops, and also teaches privately. Mr. Denty joined the CJE in 2001 and has performed professionally with artists ranging from jazz giants (Dee Dee Bridgewater, Von Freeman, Ramsey Lewis, Dr. Billy Taylor) to popular superstars (including Aretha Franklin and Mary Wilson & The Supremes). Mr. Denty also leads his own quartet, heard on the CD Round and Round on Taken Records. He is a Buffet Crampon USA Performing Artist/Clinician. Mr. Denty is a mentor and educator in the CJE’s annual Louis Armstrong Legacy Program and Celebration. For more information please visit robdenty.com.

Tim McNamara, Baritone Saxophone

Born in Oak Lawn, Illinois, Tim McNamara started on piano and switched to saxophone in high school. Originally pursuing an engineering degree at UIUC, his love of jazz was fostered there by Sinclair Greenwell (“Guido Sinclair”). Returning to Chicago 1992, he finished a degree in Jazz Studies at DePaul University (’95). He has performed with Jon Faddis, Branford Marsalis, Phil Woods, Benny Carter, Frank Wess, Bob Mintzer, Nancy Wilson, Doc Severinsen, Larry Nozero, Buddy DeFranco and Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, the Four Tops, Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Frankie Valli, and Aaron Neville. He has also accompanied a variety of Broadway shows and the Milwaukee and Rockford Symphonies. After releasing a CD of original compositions, he is working on a CD with wife Ellen Germaine. Additionally, Tim teaches instrumental lessons and coaches jazz combos and orchestra at FWParker School in Chicago. He has served as an adjudicator for the LALPC and IMEA.

Mark Olen, Trumpet

Among the most highly sought Chicago trumpeters in jazz, classical, and theatrical music, Mark Olen can be heard on several hundred radio and TV commercials. A native of Milwaukee, Mr. Olen moved to Chicago after graduating from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington. He has performed with such popular artists as Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Bobby McFerrin, and B.B. King; with such classical organizations as the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Grant Park Symphony, the Chicago Brass Quintet, and BrassWorks, which he founded; and with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, and the Great Lakes Navy Band. Mr. Olen has appeared on recordings by the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and alt-country artist Robbie Fulks as well as those of the CJE, where he holds the vital position of lead trumpet.

Larry Bowen, Trumpet

Chicago native Larry Bowen attended Vandercook College of Music on the city’s south side and later served as Musical Director at Kennedy-King College; he currently teaches private trumpet lessons in the Homewood-Flossmore area, in addition to pursuing his public performance career. Besides his work with the CJE, Mr. Bowen has worked with such internationally known artists as Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, and The Four Tops. As a member of the house band at Drury Lane Theater for 11 years, he has also been a key part of such productions as Ain’t Misbehavin, West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, and The Wiz.

Pharez Whitted, Trumpet

Leader of an established quintet that has performed at the Green Mill, the Jazz Showcase, and the Chicago Jazz Festival, Pharez Whitted earned rave reviews and national radio play with his 2010 album Transient Journey. Mr. Whitted grew up in an Indianapolis household that all but ensured his becoming a jazz musician: his father played drums, his mother played bass, and his uncle is the famed trombonist and arranger Slide Hampton. Mr. Whitted studied first at DePauw University in Indiana and then Indiana University, and was Assistant Professor of Music at Ohio State before moving to Chicago in 2001. He is also active as a producer, composer, arranger, and educator, and has taught Jazz Trumpet, Jazz Improvisation, and Jazz History throughout the country. He currently serves as Director of Jazz Studies at Chicago State University. Mr. Whitted is a mentor and educator in the CJE’s annual Louis Armstrong Legacy Program and Celebration.

Art Hoyle, Trumpet

Chicago jazz legend Art Hoyle was born in Corinth, Mississippi, where he received his first trumpet at the age of 8; by 15 he was playing professionally in and around Gary, Indiana, where he attended high school. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Airforce Bands, Mr. Hoyle joined the Sun Ra Arkestra (1955) and appeared on several of that band’s important early recordings. From 1957-60 he toured North America and Europe with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra before settling back in Chicago as a member of the CBS Staff Orchestra. A vital and familiar presence on Chicago stages, Mr. Hoyle has been a featured soloist with vocalists Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, and Joe Williams, and has played in bands led by Louie Bellson, Quincy Jones, and Henry Mancini. Mr. Hoyle, who turns 82 this year, has appeared on hundreds of commercial jingles and is also a recognizable voice-over talent whose resonant, gravelly baritone has graced radio and TV commercials spanning four decades.

Andy Baker, Trombone

Before moving to Chicago in 2001 from his native London, Andy Baker worked with such diverse ensembles as the Covent Garden Festival Orchestra, the Jools Holland Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, the Echoes of Ellington Big Band, and veteran British swing band the Ray Gelato Giants. Since arriving here, Mr. Baker has continued to pursue a career devoted to virtuosity and versatility, performing with such far-flung groups as the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, jazz-&-hip-hop funksters Liquid Soul, and the virtually uncategorizable new-music ensemble HardArtGroop. He also co-leads a sextet with pianist Steve Million, and has backed such artists as Aretha Franklin, the Beach Boys, and Arturo Sandoval. Mr. Baker has taught at Elmhurst College since 2003, and was on the faculty at Northwestern University from 2004-08. He is an Antoine Courtois artist and clinician. For more information please visit andybakertrombone.com.

Tim Coffman, Trombone

Parisian trombonist Tim Coffman (born in Paris, Texas) follows a family tradition: his mother played and still plays trombone. Mr. Coffman graduated from the prestigious Jazz Studies program at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he worked closely with the famed educator David Baker and received the Performer’s Certificate following his senior recital. Widely sought for studio and show work, Mr. Coffman has performed with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Natalie Cole to The Temptations and Lou Rawls, and from Stevie Wonder and Al Jarreau to jazz greats Randy Brecker and Benny Golson. Mr. Coffman teaches Jazz Trombone at Oak Park River and Forest High School and at DePaul University, where he also teaches several other courses, including Jazz History and Improvisation. His album Crossroads, on Blujazz Records, was released in 2005.

Tom Garling, Trombone

Illinois native Tom Garling started playing the piano by ear before he entered grade school and has never stopped making music; by the time he entered Barrington High School, he had gravitated to the trombone and to jazz, earning a spot in the Illinois All-State Jazz Band two years in a row. Mr. Garling left his studies at Berklee College of Music at the age of 20 to tour with Buddy Rich for one year. He then entered the University of Miami, where he received his Masters degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging in 1991 before heading back on the road as musical director for famed trumpeter Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau Band. A noted jazz composer and world-traveled clinician (as well as highly respected trombone soloist), Mr. Garling appears on six albums by Ferguson’s band; five recordings by arranger Frank Mantooth; and two more under his own leadership.

Thomas Matta, Bass Trombone

Equally renowned as a trombonist and as a top-notch composer/arranger, Thomas Matta has seen his works performed and recorded by premier orchestras, big bands, and chamber ensembles worldwide. Mr. Matta earned his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Minnesota in his hometown of Duluth, followed by his Master’s from the University of Northern Colorado; he also holds a Certificate in Performance for Bass Trombone from DePaul University. He has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists, among them Ray Charles, the Colorado Symphony, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra, Art Garfunkel, and the Chicago new-music ensemble Fulcrum Point. Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at DePaul University since 2007, Mr. Matta teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Trombone and in Jazz Composition and Arranging, as well as running the Jazz Combo program.

Bobbi Wilsyn, Vocals

Originally from Los Angeles, vocalist and actress Bobbi Wilsyn has found Chicago to indeed be her “kind of town.” She has performed and recorded with such major jazz artists as Ramsey Lewis, Orbert Davis, and Kurt Elling, and internationally with the acclaimed Symphonic Jazz International (in collaboration with conductor Richard Dunscomb and pianist/arranger Thomas Gunther). Ms. Wilsyn leads the all-female jazz combo She, and has appeared in such theatrical productions as Beehive, Sophisticated Ladies, and It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues. Ms. Wilsyn joined the CJE in the early 1990s, under founding musical director William Russo, and currently holds the posts of Artist-in-Residence and Voice Studies Coordinator at Columbia College. She also applies her musical insights to her work as a motivational speaker and workshop facilitator for leadership conferences and women’s groups. For more information please visit bobbiwilsyn.com.

Jeff Parker, Guitar

Jeff Parker was born in Connecticut, raised in Hampton, Virginia, and trained at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied improvisation with saxophonist George Garzone. Since moving to Chicago in 1991, he has been one of the city’s most visible and versatile musicians, appearing on over 75 recordings with artists from across the musical spectrum. Best known these days through his work in the experimental-rock ensemble Tortoise, Mr. Parker co-founded the Chicago Underground Trio, the critically acclaimed mélange of hard bop, free jazz, and non-jazz forms, and has also worked with saxophonist Joshua Redman, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, drummer Brian Blade, and the late Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson. Downbeat named Mr. Parker one of its “25 For The Future,” and in 2008 the Chicago Reader voted him “Jazz Soloist Of The Year.” For more information please visit jeffparker.com.

Jeremy Kahn, Piano

Jeremy Kahn grew up in Chicago but headed east for college, receiving his Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the prestigious New England Conservatory in Boston. Known as a particularly sensitive accompanist, he has headlined extensively overseas and in Chicago clubs – including a three-year stint at the Gold Star Sardine Bar – while carving a niche as one of the city’s most requested theater musicians, performing in hit productions of the The Lion King, Spamalot, and Wicked; he also conducted the orchestra for the Goodman Theatre’s production of the all-Ellington show Play On! Mr. Kahn has appeared on the NPR program “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz,” and has worked with such jazz giants as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Haden, Milt Hinton, and Phil Woods. His most recent project is a series of recordings exploring the complete compositions of baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams. For more information please visit kahnman.com.

Dan Anderson, Bass

A native of Batavia, Illinois, Dan Anderson studied music at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, the University of Illinois, and Northwestern University. Mr. Anderson is a true double-threat – a virtuoso performer on tuba as well as the double bass – as reflected in his eclectic resume, which stretches from his work with the Von Freeman Quartet (on bass) to guest work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Brass Quintet (on tuba). Mr. Anderson has performed at many classical music festivals in Europe and the U.S., and at jazz festivals in Brussels, Chicago, Cologne, Moscow, Pompeii, Leverkusen (Germany), and Zagreb (Croatia). Mr. Anderson has also performed or recorded with the Ray Charles Orchestra, Henry Mancini, the Nuremberg Philharmonic, and Dr. John (among others). He currently teaches Jazz Double Bass at Columbia College Chicago.