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Tom Wolfe Biography
Tom Wolfe, Associate Dean of Humanities & Fine Arts in the College of Arts & Sciences and director
of jazz studies, Leadership Board Fellow (03-06). M.M., Eastman School of
Music; B.M., Capital University. Studied with Gene Bertoncini, Rayburn
Wright, Bill Dobbins. Recipient of an Artist Fellowship from the
Alabama
State Council on the Arts. Wolfe is the first jazz musician
to receive this honor. Kennedy
Center/USIA Jazz Ambassador. Toured
several countries of North and West Africa under the auspices of
this prestigious program. Awarded by the Druid Arts Council Musician
of the Year. Wolfe has served as president of the Alabama
Chapter of the International
Association for Jazz Education. Commissions include the Band of the
U.S. Air Force Reserve Jazz Band and other universities in the U.S.
Performed throughout the U.S., El Salvador, France and Romania. Clinician
and adjudicator at college and high school festivals and jazz camps
throughout the region. Former faculty  member at University of Southwestern
Louisiana, Kenyon College, Otterbein College. University of Alabama
faculty member since 1994.
"One of the most prolific jazz guitarists and educators emanating
out of the Southeastern region of the United States..." Glenn
Astarita, Modern Jazz Editor, All About Jazz.com
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A new CD from Tom Wolfe and Gene Bertoncini
TWO GUITARS - ONE VOICE
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Floating On The Silence, released in May, 2007 on Summit Records, features jazz guitarists Tom Wolfe and Gene Bertoncini performing jazz standards in a duo setting. Two friends playing tunes for the sheer joy of music.
"...I will keep this CD in my collection, and when I need to 'tune' my ears, I'll be playing it. Enjoy it! I know I will." Mundell Lowe
"...The result is a recording that should be considered essential for guitar students and jazz fans alike..." Ken Dryden, All Music Guide 
JUST IN! A new review by AllAboutJazz.Com
Another one! A new review by Jazz Review
Yet a nother one! A new review by Jazz Society of Oregon (scroll down to mid-page)
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For the past two summers , Tom Wolfe has participated as a faculty/artist at the Romanian Jazz Education Summit in Timisoara and Jupanesti, Romania. Above is a picture of the participants. Here is a link to the Romania Jazz Diary. Below are some links to articles about this event. |
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Recently, Wolfe appears on a new CD by former student, Shane
Porter who produced the CD and arranged a majority of the repertoire on
the recording. Catch the reviews:
Wolfe has performed and recorded recently with Ken and Harry Watters, "Brothers
III," on Summit Records. Check out the reviews:
Wolfe's new CD, entitled "Simple Peace" has received
critical acclaim. Made possible by a fellowship from the Alabama
State Council on the Arts, "Simple Peace" features
all original compositions by Tom Wolfe. In a short period, the
CD has met with wide acceptance. See the reviews. Wolfe explains: “My
music is based in the jazz tradition, but with all the other influences
of my life mixed in. I grew up on rock, country, and gospel. It’s
all there. The goal of the group and music is to be spontaneous
with direction and fire. Jazz is improvisation: speaking from the
heart at that time. It is art of the moment. The next time the
audience hears us, we will still be tight and play the tunes they
recognize, but the interaction and solos will be different, giving
them a ‘new’ look into our creative process.” Musicians
featured on "Simple Peace" are: Mark Lanter (drums),
Oteil Burbridge (bass), Robert Dickson (bass), Roy Yarbrough (bass),
and Bill Peterson (piano).
Recently, Tom Wolfe has been performing throughout Alabama under
the auspices of the Alabama State Council on the Arts Rural
School Touring Program. This program is geared to help schools who do
not have arts programs in their school or access to larger metropolitan
areas for live performances. An important component of the program
is to talk with the students about the 'life of a musician.' Says
Wolfe, "Music is a part of everyone's life, whether we experience
it on the radio, church, or school, in some way or another it is
a daily component in our existence. Many of the students are intrigued
by the possibilities of being a musician. We go to these programs
to answer questions, to challenge them, and to perform music from
the jazz tradition, an American art form. It has been a very rewarding
experience for us."
Wolfe was also appointed to the Kennedy
Center/USIA Jazz Ambassador program. Following in the footsteps of other Jazz Ambassador's
like, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie,
Wolfe toured five countries in West and North Africa. For four
and a half weeks, he performed concerts and gave masterclasses
in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Morocco. With his
duo partner, Rick Condit, they met with African musicians and
performed for crowds as small as 35 people in a private residence
to over 1,000 people in a town arena.
To kick off the tour, the duo performed a concert on the Millennium
Stage at the Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts. This concert
was cybercast live and highlights of the concert are archived
on the Kennedy Center's website: www.kennedy-center.org
Wolfe has performed and/or recorded with Lew Soloff, Gene
Bertoncini, Lou Marini, Mundelle Lowe, Bill Goodwin, Frank
Vignola, Harvie Swartz, Ken Watters, Bill Huntington, Victor
Atkins, Hilary Jones, Oteil Burbridge, Charli Persip, Giacomo
Gates, Jamie Aebersold, Bob Hope, Englebert Humperdink, Rosemary
Clooney, Rose Marie, Chita Rivera, Jerry Van Dyke, Guy Lombardo
Orchestra, Lawrence Welk Orchestra, etc.
Tom Wolfe, Mark Lanter, and Oteil Burbridge
perform for a packed house at the 4th & 23rd in Tuscaloosa,
Al.
MP3's from Simple Peace
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