I'm a jazz saxophonist and educator based in Los Angeles, where I lead the music program at Crossroads School for Arts and Science.
Alongside performing and teaching, I've also built free resources for music students. Most of them now live at music-theory-practice.com. A few other resources, along with my research and performance work, can be read here.
Resources
Featured Project
Music Theory Practice
My free, interactive music-theory practice site — roughly 43 tools (note-reading flashcards, ear training, jazz harmony, key signatures, post-tonal calculators) plus study guides and reference pages. It has become the main home for my creative work.
music-theory-practice.com →Tools & Teaching
- Jazz TranscriptionsVideo, analysis & notation PDFs
- Jazz DMA ProgramsDirectory of doctoral programs
Discographies
- Chris Potter200+ albums, searchable
Artist Advice
- Thelonious MonkTo Steve Lacy, 1960
- Elvin Jones“Thoughts by Elvin”
- Chick Corea“Cheap but Good Advice”
Writing & Projects
- Jazz in Pop CultureVideo essays on YouTube — paused about 10 years ago, now posting occasionally from a backlog
- Mapping Coltrane's LifeAn interactive biography
Teaching
Crossroads School for Arts and Science
2021 – Present
Chair, Upper School Music Department
Los Angeles College of Music
2015 – 2022
Advanced Theory & Aural Skills, Pedagogy, Big Band, Combos
University of Southern California
2014 – 2018
Private Lessons; Teaching Assistant — Jazz History, Music Industry, Arranging
Los Angeles Youth Jazz Ensemble
2017 – 2018
Co-director, USC Thornton Community Engagement
Education
Doctor of Musical Arts
USC Thornton School of Music — Jazz Studies
Master of Music
California State University, Long Beach — Jazz Studies
Bachelor of Music
University of North Texas — Jazz Studies
Research
Developing the Canon in the Dark Room: Photography's Influence on Jazz
Through the Lens: How Photography in Jazz History and Appreciation Textbooks Shapes Our Understanding of the Music
Invoking Jazz: Meanings of ‘Jazz’ in Television, Film, and Advertising
Coltrane in Pop Culture
Jazz Music, Musicians, and Iconographic Depictions in Popular Culture and Mass Media
Jazz in Popular Culture
An Analysis of Chris Potter's Improvisations During His Teen Years
Expectations vs. Reality: Experiences of Recent DMA Graduates
Jazz Poetry: Jazz and the High School Literature Classroom
Performances
Studio Recording
Michael Bublé — Love
Saxophone on the 2018 album
Live Performance
Jon Hatamiya Group
A featured solo with the group
Live Performance
Carnegie Hall
Solo during the Paquito D'Rivera workshop
Live Performance
Disneyland All-American College Band
Solo with Peter Erskine
Studio Recording
Disney's “Making Today a Perfect Day”
Saxophone (all parts), Best Friends Whenever
Studio Recording
Disney's “Sofia the First”
Saxophone
Photographs
USC Graduation
Doctor of Musical Arts, 2018
With Bob Mintzer
USC Honors Convocation
With Paquito D'Rivera
Carnegie Hall
Newport Jazz Festival
With Gordon Goodwin, James Morrison, Terell Stafford
With Bob Reynolds
Saxophonist
With Jiggs Whigham
Disneyland
Community Engagement Award
USC Thornton
LA Youth Jazz Ensemble
USC Community Engagement
LACM at PCC
Los Angeles College of Music
Documenting Jazz
Conference Program
With LACM Students at Graduation
Los Angeles College of Music
