Grammy-winning jazz trombonist will be guest artist in two-day residency at Wright State

Jazz trombonist Michael Dease will lead educational masterclasses for music students and a concert with the Wright State Jazz Ensemble during a residency at Wright State.

A multi-Grammy-winning jazz trombonist will be a resident artist at Wright State University, sharing his talent, insight and advice with music students in the jazz studies program.

Michael Dease will be at Wright State on April 10 and 11 for a two-day residency in the Creative Arts Center.

Stephen M. Wadsack, instructor of trumpet and director of the Jazz Ensemble at Wright State, secured the funding for Dease’s residency, which will feature a performance, educational masterclasses and community outreach.

The residency will culminate with a performance by Dease and the Wright State University Jazz Ensemble at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, in the Festival Playhouse in the Creative Arts Center. The concert is free and open to the public. The concert will feature some of Dease’s big band arrangements, performed by Wright State students.

In addition, area high school music students will learn alongside Wright State students in a masterclass with Dease.

Bringing in a guest artist was high on Wadsack’s to-do list when he joined the School of Fine and Performing Arts faculty last August. To address that, he secured a Strategic Priorities Grant from the College of Liberal Arts to support a residency.

Next was to find the right guest artist.

“Michael Dease was on my radar for a number of reasons,” Wadsack said. “He really has done all of the things we’re looking for him to do here. He has recordings as a big-band leader, he has recordings as a small-group leader, and he’s a prolific composer and an arranger of jazz music. He has somewhere around 200 credits as a recording artist on CDs and records.”

Most important, Wadsack said, Dease is a passionate educator.

“That’s very important to me. Not all great jazz musicians fit the bill as high-level teachers,” he said. “Mike is undoubtedly both of these.”

Stephen M. Wadsack, instructor of trumpet, directing the Wright State University Jazz Ensemble.

Wadsack added, “He’s on the faculty at Michigan State. He does tons of these types of visits on his own. He works with high school and university groups, and with premier jazz groups around the country. I love his music, and his accolades speak for themselves. Most recently, Dease won the 69th annual DownBeat magazine poll as Trombonist of the Year.”

Wadsack reached out to Dease and worked out the details. “He’s been very supportive and excited about being here.”

Wadsack hopes bringing in a guest artist with the “chops” of Dease will be a springboard to raising the level of awareness of Wright State’s Jazz Ensemble.

“It shows we’re investing in the jazz program to make it a little bit bigger,” he said.

Details are available by contacting Wadsack at stephen.wadsack@wright.edu. Michael Dease is a Yamaha Performing Artist.