Percussion Studies Professor Tom Collier performs with noted vibraphonist (and School of Music alumna) Susan Pascal and faculty drummer Ted Poor in this installment of the popular percussion series.
ARTIST BIOS
Thomas Collier
Director of percussion studies at the University of Washington School of Music since 1980, associate professor Tom Collier has performed and recorded with many important classical, jazz, and popular artists, in addition to recording and performing with his own jazz group.
He is a veteran of more than 50 years in music -- his first public appearance was at age five, on xylophone, and his first professional performances were made as a nine-year-old marimba virtuoso.
He has made commercial and educational recordings with his own jazz group for various jazz labels, including Inner City (New York), Music Minus One (New York), TC Records (Seattle), Nebula (Baton Rouge), and Studio 4 (Los Angeles).
Collier has recorded several educational albums for Music Minus One and Studio 4 Productions, as well as presenting more than 300 jazz concerts in public schools around Washington for the Arts in Education Program, Washington State Arts Commission. The National Association of Jazz Educators presented him with an "Outstanding Service to Jazz Education" award in 1980.
A UW alumnus, Collier graduated from the School of Music in 1971 with a BA/BM in percussion performance.
Susan Pascal
Seattle jazz vibraphonist Susan Pascal has taken her music through four tours of Singapore and concerts, workshops and clinics across the United States. Her Pacific Northwest appearances include the Earshot Jazz Festival and Centrum Jazz Port Townsend, and as a special guest artist with theSeattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and Seattle’s Gypsy jazz group, Pearl Django.
Pascal’s eclectic musical interests are reflected in her own projects. Susan Pascal’s SOUL SAUCE quintet is a tribute to Latin jazz icon Cal Tjader, and her new BRAZIL PROJECTband features the rich rhythmic and melodic traditions of Brazil. Her straight-ahead jazz group, the SUSAN PASCAL QUARTET has been nominated twice for Best Acoustic Group by Seattle’s Earshot Jazz.
Pascal is heard on motion picture soundtracks including “The Wedding Planner”, “Office Space”, ”Eulogy” and “Mirror, Mirror” and is a guest artist on recordings by vocalist Greta Matassa, “All This and Heaven Too,” "And to All a Good Night," and "The Smiling Hour"; the Vern Sielert’s Dektet recording, "From There to Here"; slide guitarist Orville Johnson’s “Slide and Joy”; and many others.
Ted Poor
After graduating from the Eastman School of Music in 2003, drummer Ted Poor moved to New York City, where he has made a deep impression on the jazz and improvised music scene. Modern Drummer describes his playing as “adventurous, truly dynamic, and forward-thinking.” Jazz Review writes, “Ted has an uncanny ability to shape the music and a refreshingly unique, organic approach to playing the drums.” This unique approach has caught the ears of many of jazz’s most established musicians and quickly placed him amongst those drummers most in demand.
Ted has toured the world over and is a regular member of many bands, including those of Grammy award winning trumpeter Cuong Vu, guitarist Ben Monder, Bad Touch, and the Respect Sextet. Ted’s most recent project as a leader is called Mt. Varnum. Formed in August of 2011, Mt. Varnum reconciles a life-long love of deep swing with an equally earnest adoration of classic and indie rock. The band’s forthcoming debut release “Wounded Caroline” is a powerful and complete manifestation of that union.
As an in-demand sideman, Ted has appeared on dozens of recordings and has shared the stage with many world renowned artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Bill Frisell, Mark Turner, Chris Potter, Kenny Werner, Maria Schneider, Aaron Parks and Ralph Alessi. As a guest soloist and educator, Poor has held residencies at, among others, the Eastman School of Music, Berklee College of Music, Cal Arts, Lawrence University, the University of Oregon, and the HR Big Band of Frankfurt. He is currently an Artist in Residence at the University of Washington in Seattle.