Purdue University Jazz Festival

Purdue University Jazz Festival - Artist Info

Purdue Jazz Festival 2012 Guest Artists

Carl Saunders | Denis DiBlasio | Dick Sisto | Danilo Pérez

Adjudicators | Purdue Jazz Band | M.T. "Mo" Trout

Carl Saunders

“—probably the best trumpet player you’ve never heard."

--Carl Fontana

He is one of the world's greatest jazz trumpeters but Carl Saunders is little known outside of Southern California. A brilliant musician who can hit
stratospheric high notes quietly, play as fast as Arturo Sandoval, and is both an outstanding lead trumpeter and a very skilled soloist, Saunders deserves much greater recognition.

Carl Saunders was born on Aug. 2, 1942 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was on the road from the start of his life for his mother Gale Sherwood was a singer who toured as part of her brother trumpeter Bobby Sherwood's orchestra. She retired from the music business when Carl was five and settled in Los Angeles. For a time the two lived with Carl’s aunt Caroline and her husband, tenor-saxophonist Dave Pell, who was with Les Brown at the time. Young Carl started playing trumpet in the seventh grade and he quickly found his musical voice. After he graduated from high school, his mother helped get him a job with her old friend Stan Kenton. After an audition, Saunders was given a choice of waiting for the first opening in the trumpet section or joining the band the following week as a member of the mellophonium section. He chose the latter, spending 1961-62 on the road with Stan Kenton playing the mellophonium, an instrument he has avoided ever since.

After the Kenton period, Saunders worked as a drummer with Bobby Sherwood, settled in Las Vegas, and during the next 20 years played with many show bands plus the big bands of Si Zentner, Harry James, Maynard Ferguson, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet and Buddy Rich (1966). Moving to Los Angeles in 1984, Saunders became the lead trumpeter with Bill Holman (a position he still holds), and worked with Supersax, Bob Florence's Limited Edition, the Gerald Wilson Orchestra, the Phil Norman Tentet and with his uncle in the Dave Pell Octet.

Saunders also leads his own groups which include the Carl Saunders Big Band, his sextet and a quartet. To hear him at his best, listen to the recordings he has led in recent times. Out Of The Blues features him with pianist Roger Kellaway in a quartet and a sextet, highlighted by a miraculous version of “Minute Waltz.” Eclecticism has the trumpeter (who sometimes overdubs on five trumpets) accompanied by 23 strings and three French horns, not just on ballads but on such numbers as “Fascinating Rhythm,” his own “Blues For The Common Man” and Chopin's “Valtz Opus 64 #2.” And Bebop Big Band (which is available on Sea Breeze) has some outstanding playing by some of Los Angeles' top musicians including altoist Lanny Morgan, trombonists Bob McChesney and Andy Martin, and tenor-saxophonist Jerry Pinter, playing arrangements by Herbie Phillips. Other sets include the jam session flavored Live At Capozzoli's (Woofy 109) with altoist Lanny Morgan, the quartet outing Can You Dig Being Dug (Orchard 105307) with the great pianist Christian Jacob, and The Lost Bill Holman Charts (Mama 1032).

Few trumpeters in jazz of the past 15 years are on Carl Saunders' level. He may not win the Downbeat polls but he certainly deserves to be heard by fans of modern jazz and the trumpet in general.

Denis DiBlasio

After receiving his Masters Degree from the University of Miami, Denis DiBlasio joined the big band of legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, serving as Maynard 's Musical Director for five years. During this time he honed his virtuosity on the baritone saxophone and flute as well as a prodigious scat-vocal technique, and developed estimable composing/ arranging skills. His scores have been published by Kendor, William Allen, Kjos, Doug Beach and Hal Leonard, and his several books on jazz improvisation and scat-singing are available through Kendor, Houston and Jamey Aebersold Publications. He is currently Director of the Jazz Department and conducts the Jazz Lab Band at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

As a clinician for the Yamaha Musical Corporation, DiBlaslo has taught and performed all over The United States; his "education as entertainment" style has also taken him to Thailand, Italy, Luxemburg, Prague, Canada, Mexico, Spain, France, Switzerland, Denmark and Japan. His unique combination of positive motivation and witty sense of humor ensures an atmosphere where "making music is fun" and students are encouraged by his fearless risk-taking attitude that communicates the message: "Mistakes are valid —if you learn something from the attempt." This approach keeps Denis extremely busy, in constant demand and is often booked up over a year in advance.

The Denis DiBlasio Quartet, usually featuring Jim Ridl (piano), Darryl Hall (1995 Thelonious Monk International Bass Competition first-place winner) and Jim.Miller (drums) appears extensively in club, concert workshop and festival settings. Of their first two CDs, The Philadelphia Inquirer noted "DiBlasio unravels skeins of bebop that emerge from his big horn in a furious blur... DiBlasio huffs and puffs and blows the house down on "Catch Me" (LAS-11193), and Cadence observed that on Seven Giant Steps to Heaven (LAS-38932) "DiBlasio seems able to do whatever he pleases on the horn; musically, he has an excellent sense of rhythm, pacing and dynamics, and is able to swing with abandon at a variety of tempos on either baritone saxophone or flute..."

The sheer joy of spontaneity, intensity, and depth of expression all come together in the jazz artistry of Denis DiBlasio.

Dick Sisto

Dick began studying the vibes in Grammar school with marimba master Jose Bethancourt of the Chicago Symphony. He attended Notre Dame H.S., which also produced pianists Jim McNeely, Al Pheeney and trombonist James Pankow. While there he was awarded "best soloist" at the state competition. He attended North Texas State Univ. for one year and took a quartet to the Collegiate Jazz Festival where he was judged, "an excellent player" by Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. The following year he attended Northwestern Univ. playing in the lab band with David Sanborn. Soon after that he left school to form a quartet with drummer Maurice White, who later founded Earth, Wind and Fire. The Chicago jazz scene in those days included several jazz clubs that Dick frequented to hear the music of Trane, Miles, Bill Evans, Stitt, Peterson, Garner, Ellington, Basie, etc.

In recent years Sisto has performed at jazz clubs throughout the midwest including the Green Mill, Andy's and Pops in Chicago, The Blue Wisp in Cincinnatti, as well as festivals in Indianapolis, Nashville, Elkhart, Ind. and Louisville. He has toured Great Britain five times where he received rave reviews, working prominent venues. Festival gigs have included performances with David "Fathead" Newman, Milt Hinton, Ira Sullivan, Willie Pickens, Fred Hersch, Barry Ries, Harry Pickens and others.

Currently, he is the music director at the famous Seelbach Bar at the Seel bach Hilton Hotel where his trio has backed great jazz artists such as Pat Labarbera, David Liebman, Joe Morello, Joe Labarbera, Kevin Mahagony, Bobby Shew, Kenny Werner, Dave Samuels, Rich Perry, Andy Laverne, Don Braden, David Hazeltine, Walt Weiskoff, Scott Wendholt, Lynne Arrialle, Steve Davis and many others.

He also hosts two public radio jazz shows for WFPK, Louisville. The Inner Ear and the most recent called Jazz Folio, an interview and performance show on which he has performed with and/or interviewed guests such as Phil Woods, Toots Thielmans and Paul Winter as well as most of the Seelbach guests previously mentioned. His CD End of Time was 28th on the Gavin Radio Airplay List.

Sisto appears as a sideman on more recent CD's by tenor saxophonist Mark Colby, and guitarist Kenny Poole.

He has been the vibes teacher for the Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops for over ten years. Dick is a Musser vibraphone and Pro Mark mallet clinician. He has developed a signature mallet for Pro Mark. He is the author of The Jazz Vibraphone Book, published by Meredith/Hal Leonard

Danilo Pérez

Grammy award winner Danilo Pérez is among the most influential and dynamic musicians of our time. In just over a decade, his distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz (covering the music of the Americas, folkloric and world music) has attracted critical acclaim and loyal audiences. Danilo’s abundant talents and joyous enthusiasm make his concerts both memorable and inspiring. Whether leading his own ensembles or touring with renowned jazz masters (Wayne Shorter, Roy Haynes, Steve Lacy), Danilo is making a decidedly fresh imprint on contemporary music, guided, as always, by his love for jazz.

He has led his own groups since the early ‘90s, and as bandleader has earned three Grammy® nominations for his ebullient and innovative recordings. Motherland, was nominated for two Grammy® Awards for “Best Latin Jazz Album,” and also garnered his third win for “Best Jazz Album” from the prestigious Boston Music Awards. Motherland was named (as were his previous four releases) among the best albums of the year by such publications as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, San Diego Tribune, Billboard and JazzTimes. In 2002, he received a nomination from the Jazz Journalists Association for “Pianist of the Year.”

Born in Panama in 1965, Danilo started his musical studies at just three years of age with his father, a bandleader and singer. By age 10, he was studying the European classical piano repertoire at the National Conservatory in Panama. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in electronics, he moved to the United States to enroll at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and, after changing his major to music, transferred to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. From 1985-88, while completing his studies in jazz composition, he performed with Jon Hendricks, Terence Blanchard,Claudio Roditi and Paquito D'Rivera, and produced the critically-acclaimed Reunion album (Messidor) featuring D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval: in 1994, Danilo also appeared on Sandoval's Grammy®-winning album, Danzon. Since the late ‘80s, he has toured and/or recorded with Wayne Shorter, Steve Lacy, Jack DeJohnette, Charlie Haden, Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, Tito Puente, Wynton Marsalis, John Patitucci, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, and Roy Haynes. ” Roy Haynes Trio (Verve 2000) was named one of the best albums of the year by Gary Giddins, critic for The Village Voice: “(This CD) displayed Danilo’s skills perfectly – glinting technique, an expressive melodic gift, and unerring time . . .”

Danilo first attracted the spotlight as the youngest member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra (1989-1992). This pivotal tenure solidified his command of the eclectic, post-bop Latin style, and brought him to the forefront on Gillespie’s Grammy® Award-winning recording, Live At The Royal Festival Hall (Enja), an appearance at the Kennedy Center, and worldwide touring.

In 1993, Danilo turned his focus to his own ensembles and recording projects. A bold, ingenious bandleader, he moved into the spotlight once again, this time for his own RCA/Novus CDs - Danilo Pérez (1993) and The Journey (1994). The Journey placed prominently in several Top Ten Albums of 1994 lists. DownBeat gave it 4 1/2 stars and listed it among the best CDs of the ‘90s; it also received a Jazziz Critics Choice Award. In 1995, Danilo became the first Latin member of Wynton Marsalis’ band, and the first jazz musician to perform with the Panamanian Symphony Orchestra, which featured an expanded 80-piece orchestral version of “The Journey.” He also released two recordings for impulse! – PanaMonk (1996) and Central Avenue (1998) – and won his first Grammy® nomination for “Best Jazz Album” for the latter; The New York Times praised PanaMonk as "a masterpiece of jazz synthesis." These four CDs accumulated numerous awards and Top Ten citations, firmly establishing Danilo’s leadership role in a new generation of jazz artists.

Danilo also is part of the Wayne Shorter Quartet which won a Grammy in 2006 with their record Beyond The Sound Barrier. The new Wayne Shorter Quartet was voted “Best Small Ensemble of the Year” by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2002 and 2004. He is featured on Shorter’s Verve releases, Alegria and Footprints Live!, which received Five Stars from DownBeat. Shorter invited Danilo to join his first all-acoustic group after hearing him play, “It was adventurous and fresh,” Shorter observes (Jazz Times, 2002). “He wasn’t playing to show off his technique. He was interested in telling stories.” Favorably compared to the ‘60s Miles Davis group that featured Shorter, the new quartet displays a remarkable freedom.

Currently, Perez serves as Artistic Director of the Panama Jazz Festival, Artistic Advisor of the innovative Mellon Jazz Up Close series at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and Artistic Director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. He also continues to play with Ben Street and Adam Cruz, musicians that have been working with him for more than eight years. His new CD, Providencia, is released August 31 of 2010 on Mack Avenue Records. “Trust and deep knowing are the foundation for the spirited and soulful interplay among the musicians in this trio. "I know them very well," says Pérez, "and we all try to practice brotherhood, love, equality and freedom in our personal lives and in our music. All of us have become a family, and there is a feeling of celebration, of transcending communication, when we play that it is very magical to me."

Purdue Jazz Band

Known internationally, the Purdue Jazz Band boasts a long and rich tradition of performing with some of the top artists in jazz today. It travels extensively each year and has twice performed at the Montreux International Jazz Festival in Switzerland with the last time in July 2000. That summer it topped all jazz bands in competition at the Alpine International Jazz Festival in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, and played club gigs in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.

In April 2005 the Purdue Jazz Band was invited to participate in the North Texas Jazz Festival. In February 2008 it was invited to perform in Naples, FL, and in May 2008 it made a two-week tour of Italy. Each February the band competes at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival in the Chicago area.

Each January, Purdue University Bands, hosts the three-day Purdue Jazz Festival. Among the many guest artists to appear with the Purdue Jazz Band are Bill Watrous, Freddie Hubbard, Howie Smith, Denis DeBlasio, Ed Shaughnessy, Marvin Stamm, Cecil Bridgewater, Gary Burton, Allen Vizzutti, Chris Vadala, Howard Levy, Conrad Herwig, Terell Stafford, Jim Pugh, Ingrid Jensen, Teri Lyne Carrington, James Williams, Bob Mintzer, Michael Philip Mossman, Steve Weist, Bobby Watson, Claudio Roditi, Dave Samuels, Eric Marienthal, Steve Houghton, Gary Smulyan, Ryan Cohan, The Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Band, Eddie Daniels, Dave Holland and Mark Colby.

M.T. "Mo" Trout
Director of Purdue Jazz Band and Festival Coordinator

Dr. Marion T. “Mo” Trout, Assistant Professor of Bands, has been the director of the Purdue Jazz Band and coordinator of Purdue’s Jazz Studies Program as well as the Purdue Jazz Festival since 1996. His Doctor of Musical Arts degree (Trumpet Performance, 1991) is from the University of North Texas. His master's degree (also from the University of North Texas) is in Music Education, as is his bachelor's degree which is from Texas Christian University.

Trout performs as a free-lance trumpeter in jazz and classical settings throughout Indiana and leads his own popular jazz quintet. Trout has directed All-State Jazz Bands in Indiana and Oklahoma, and is an active clinician, adjudicator, soloist and guest conductor for jazz bands, concert bands and orchestras throughout the Midwest and Southwest.