Gary Thomas
Director and Chair of Jazz Studies
Richard and Elizabeth Case Endowed Professor in Jazz
Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair of Jazz Studies. Jazz saxophone and flute, jazz improvisation, ensembles. Studied at Howard University, Washington, D.C. Native of Baltimore. Founder of jazz studies degree program at Peabody. First African-American degree program director at the Conservatory. Internationally-known tenor saxophonist, flutist, and educator. Has traveled the globe as both a leader and a sideman. Performance and recording credits alongside the likes of Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, Dennis Chambers, Pat Metheny, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jim Hall, Dave Holland, Nana Vasconcelos, Ron Carter, Vinnie Colaiuta, Billy Hart, Wynton Marsalis, David Sanborn, Joe Lovano, Geri Allen, Joshua Redman, Bobby McFerrin, Sam Rivers, Vanessa Williams, Betty Carter, George Benson, McCoy Tyner, Randy Brecker, James Newton, Jeff Watts, Marvin "Smitty"Smith, Patrice Rushen, Kevin Eubanks, Greg Osby, John Scofield, Tony Williams, Kenny Garrett, Jimmy Smith, Steve Coleman, John Patitucci, Ravi Coltrane.
In addition to 11 recording dates as a leader, his work on more than 80 recordings as a featured sideman reflects his status as one of the most coveted saxophonists on the jazz scene today. Two of his recordings as a leader, By Any Means Necessary and While the Gate Is Open, were named best recordings of the 1990s by Downbeat Magazine. Has performed as a featured artist at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, The Kolner Philharmonic, L'auditorium Stravinski, Whitla Hall, Gasteig Philharmonic, Athens Concert Hall, The Hatch Shell, The Chicago Symphony Hall. Clinician at universities throughout the U.S. and Europe including University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.; Towson University, Baltimore; Esberg Musikkonservatorium, Esberg, Denmark; Odense Musikkonservatorium, Odense, Demark; Malmo Folkhögskola, Malmo, Sweden; Royal Conservatory of Music, Stockholm, Sweden; National Conservatory of Music, Paris, France; Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium, Copenhagen, Denmark; Folkwang Hochschule Essen, Essen, Germany; Berklee College Of Music, Boston; Musik Hochschule Jazzabteilung, Graz, Austria; Bruckner Conservatory, Vienna, Austria; Hamburger Konservatorium, Hamburg, Germany; Staatliche Hochschule Fuer Musik, Trossingen, Germany. Has been highlighted in several texts including The New Grove's Dictionary of Jazz, Masters of the Jazz Saxophone: The Story of the Players and Their Music, Jazz: The Rough Guide: The Essential Companion to Artists and Albums, and the Simon and Shuster publication, Miles: The Autobiography.
Commissioned by Baltimore Magazine to compose and record a suite of music representing a collection of more than 50 works of art featured in the September 2005 issue. Worked with the British guitarist John McLaughlin from 1997 to 1999. Member of the Herbie Hancock Quartet since 2002.
