Jerry Tolson

Jerry Tolson is professor of jazz studies and music education at the University of Louisville School of Music, where he is chair of the Department of Academic and Professional Studies, directs instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles and teaches jazz pedagogy, jazz style, jazz history, and African American Music classes. He serves as an adjudicator, guest conductor, and jazz camp instructor internationally. Tolson has presented at state, regional, and national Music Education conferences, the International Association for Jazz Education Conference, Jazz Education Network, the International Academy of Law and Mental Health, and the Midwest Clinic. He has also presented at the Sorbonne in Paris. He is the educational director for the University of Louisville Jazz Festival and co-founder of U of L’s African American Music Heritage Institute, a celebration of the contributions of African Americans to America’s musical history, as well as a series of jazz training institutes. Tolson’s articles have appeared in Music Educator’s Journal, Jazz Educator’s Journal, The Journal of Jazz Studies, and The Instrumentalist, and he is a contributor to the following publications: “”Teaching Music Through Performance In Jazz””, Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educator’s Handbook and Resource Guide””, and “”The Jazzer’s Cookbook: Creative Recipes for Players and Teachers””. As a composer/arranger, Tolson writes for both large and small instrumental ensembles as well as vocal jazz ensembles.

Performing on keyboards, woodwinds, and vocals, Tolson leads three groups and has worked with artists such as Delfeayo Marsalis, Antonio Hart, Don Braden, Rufus Reid, Kevin Mahogany, James Moody, Benny Golson, and Grace Kelley. Tolson’s CDs include “”Nu View””, “”Back at the Track””, and “”Fresh Squeezed””, and his groups have appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, and in Barbados, Brazil and Trinidad.