Full Bio
Originally from Burnsville, MN, Jack holds a Bachelor's in Applied Trombone and Jazz Studies from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Mark Kellogg and Larry Zalkind as well as a Master of Music from the University of North Texas where he studied with Nick Finzer. While at Eastman, Jack also studied arranging with Bill Dobbins and was the recipient of the Lois Smith Rogers Scholarship, the Steven Witser Award for Excellence, a Performer’s Certificate, and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda. Jack worked as a Teaching Fellow at UNT, directing the Seven O'Clock Lab Band and the U-Tubes jazz trombone ensemble while serving as Jazz Chair trombonist in the One O'Clock Lab Band.
Jack was the winner of the 2021 UNT/Conn-Selmer International Jazz Trombone Competition, the International Trombone Association’s 2021 JJ Johnson Competition and 2016 Carl Fontana Competition as well as the American Trombone Workshop’s 2018 National Solo Jazz Competition. Under Jack's direction, the University of North Texas' jazz trombone ensemble, The U-Tubes, were named winners of the ITA's 2021 Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Ensemble Competition. He has performed at festivals and venues in Switzerland, Germany, Canada and across the U.S.
As a performer, Jack can be heard on studio recordings with Charles Pillow (“Electric Miles” - 2017), the Saplings (“The Saplings” - 2017, “Go Digital” - 2019), SPACE (“Non-Trivial Problem” - 2019), Ben Britton ("Gravity Leak" - 2020), Tommy Gearhart (“Listen” - 2020) and the One O'Clock Lab Band ("Lab '21" and "Lab '22"). He also leads an active freelance career, performing with groups such as the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Sundance Square Big Band, Dave Rivello Ensemble, Popstyle, Calle Uno, Orquesta Antonetti, Amendous Quartet, East End Brass, Prime Time Brass, Vileman and the Excaliburs and Blue Dance.
As a composer and arranger, Jack’s writing has been performed by the One O’Clock Lab Band, Minneapolis-based jazz quintet SPACE, Rochester-based pop-fusion band The Saplings, folk/contradance band Lake Effect, and his works for trombone ensemble have been performed by groups at Eastman, UW-Eau Claire, UNT, TCU, NIU, the Merit School and the ITF's Kramer Choir. Jack has also been commissioned to write works for the Broken Bones trombone quartet (Eastman School of Music), Lauren Rudzinskas (Mansfield University), Tim Smith (Buffalo Philharmonic), the Gabriel V Brass Ensemble (Boston) and the Apple Valley High School Jazz Ensemble (Apple Valley, MN).
Jack plays a 1965 King 3B Silversonic and a custom Edwards jazz trombone with a Giddings Chubasco mouthpiece, as well as a Conn 88 HT with a Hammond 11ML mouthpiece.