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Jazz Ensemble

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Faculty

Brent Edstrom

Brent Edstrom received a bachelor of music degree in classical piano performance from Washington State University and a master of music degree in jazz studies and contemporary media from the Eastman School of Music. Edstrom's active performance career has placed him on stage with many well-known performers, including Clark Terry, Ernie Watts, Lee Konitz, John Faddis, Bob Berg, Bob Mintzer, and Peter Erskine. In addition to his work as teacher and performer, Edstrom is active as a composer and arranger. He currently works as a freelance writer and arranger for Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. Highlights of his publishing work include transcriptions and arrangements of the music of Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Kenny Barron, John Williams and many others. Edstrom has completed several new publications, including Making Music With Your Computer, distributed nationally by EM Books, and Bill Evans Signature Licks, Hard Bop For Piano, and Latin Jazz Piano, distributed by Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation. He recently signed a contract with A & R Editions for a new book titled Music Notation Algorithms in C++. He teaches jazz piano and coordinates the music theory and composition program at Whitworth.

Jared Hall

Trumpeter, composer and educator Jared Hall hails from Spokane, Wash. He studied at Whitworth University, the Indiana University Jacobs School Of Music and the University Of Miami’s Frost School Of Music, where he received the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in 2015. His primary teachers include Terence Blanchard, Joey Tartell, Dan Keberle, Whit Sidener, David Baker and Brian Lynch, under whom he pursued his doctoral studies. Hall is the winner of the 2013 National Trumpet Competition – Jazz Division, and has performed and recorded with Paquito D’Rivera, Bob Hurst, John Daversa, Arturo Sandoval, Maria Schneider, Vincent Herring, Peter Erskine, Dave Liebman, Alan Pasqua, Brian Lynch, Ira Sullivan, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Terence Blanchard, Rick Margitza, Wycliffe Gordon, David Binney, Johnny Mathis, George Benson, Gloria Estefan, Fred Hersch, Shelly Berg, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra and the Frost Concert Jazz Band.

​Hall’s recording credits include his albums Seen on the Scene (Origin Records, 2021) and Hallways (Hollistic MusicWorks, 2017). Other recordings include Inventions (OA2 Records, 2021), Cheap Thrills: The Music of Rick Margitza (Summit, 2020), North By Freaking Northwest (Skymuse, 2019), Jazz & The Philharmonic (OKeh, 2014), With Love (Jeremy Fox, 2014), Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole (George Benson, 2013) and others.

Hall performed in Seattle from 2015-22 with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, Symphony Tacoma, the 5th Avenue Theatre, and many of the region's outstanding ensembles. His quintet performed regularly at Tula’s Jazz Club, the 2018 Gene Harris Jazz Festival, 2019 Puget Sound Jazz Combo Festival, and 2021 Bellevue Jazz Festival. As a clinician, Hall has served many universities, high school programs and jazz festivals throughout the Pacific Northwest. He has presented lectures at the National Association of Music Educators (NAfME) Northwest Division Conference 2019, Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) Conference 2022, and the Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conference 2017. The Piano Grip System: An Approach to Learning Jazz Harmony, a book co-published by Hall and Whit Sidener in June 2020, has been welcomed as an essential guide to learning jazz harmony and theory for non-pianists.

In fall 2022, Hall returned to his hometown of Spokane and alma mater Whitworth University as director of jazz studies. He has also served on the faculty at Northwest University, Pacific Lutheran University, and the Jazz Night School, as well as a teaching assistant at University of Miami and Indiana University.

Adjunct Jazz Faculty

  • Chris Parkin, superb jazz and classical sax artist, directs the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble II and teaches jazz combos and jazz saxophone. He is a sought-after performer in the Northwest.
  • Eugene Jablonsky, one of the most in-demand jazz bassists in the Inland Northwest, teaches jazz bass and jazz combos.
  • Mike Fredrick, an alum of Whitworth University and The Eastman School of Music, teaches guitar. He has toured in Broadway shows such as Shrek, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent, and Motown the Musical.
  • Tom Shook, one of the area's most acclaimed jazz pianists, teaches jazz piano; he is also a classical clarinetist who plays with the Spokane Symphony.
  • Rick Westrick, one of the most versatile and popular percussionists in the Inland Northwest, teaches jazz percussion.