Chip McNeill is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator. In addition to his responsibilities as a tenured associate professor and chair of jazz studies at the University of Illinois, Professor McNeill is a former musical director and jazz tenor saxophonist for Grammy award-winning recording artist Arturo Sandoval. Professor McNeill has recorded with Sandoval on his Grammy award-winning CD, Hot House and on Americana . The Hot House CD won a Grammy award for Best Latin Jazz Performance. Professor McNeill is a former musical director/player/producer for legendary jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. He produced, wrote, and performed on six CDs with Ferguson including his final one The One and Only Maynard Ferguson and has toured with Ferguson, Sandoval and many other notable jazz performers. Professor McNeill has performed at countless jazz festivals and clubs around the world, including the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Monterey Jazz Festival (U.S.A.), and Noto Jazz Festival (Japan), as well as performing at Carnegie Hall (U.S.), Town Hall (Sydney, Australia), the London Palladium, and on numerous jazz radio and television productions in Europe, Japan, U.K., India, and Indonesia. In addition to recording with Sandoval and Ferguson, Professor McNeill has recorded with such musicians as Nat Adderley, David Liebman, Duffy Jackson, Ira Sullivan, The Woody Herman Orchestra, Ted Shumate and Larry Willis, and has performed with such entertainers as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joe Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, and Wynton Marsalis. Professor McNeill's latest CD release "Four Steps-3" is on the Capri Record label featuring all original music by Professor McNeill. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois, McNeill held similar academic positions at Florida International University and at Virginia Tech University.
Chip McNeill's CDs as a leader:
"Four Steps 3" is Chip McNeill's new CD release. It will be released in June on the CAPRI label. The CD features Chip McNeill on saxes, Jeff Helgesen on trumpet, Chip Stephens on piano, Joan Hickey on piano, Dennis Carroll on bass, and Joel Spenser on drums. To order the CD (in June) and for more information on the CAPRI label, visit www.caprirecords.com
"Radio Improved" is Chip's first CD as a leader. The CD features Chip McNeill on saxes, Doug Bickel on piano, Dennis Marks on bass, and Ernesto Simpson on drums. To purchase this CD, contact Chip McNeill at [email protected], or by phone at 217-333-9703
Maynard Ferguson 80th Birthday Concert Rehearsal Video, part 1. Chip McNeill musical director.
Maynard Ferguson 80th Birthday Concert Rehearsal Video, part 2. Chip McNeill musical director and soloing on "Maria".
Chip McNeill is the director of the Jazz Studies Program at the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. The school offeres a bachelors, masters, and one of the few schools in the country that offers a doctorate in jazz performance. The university offers many jazz ensembles for their students, including four big bands, many jazz combos, Latin jazz ensemble, jazz trombone ensemble, jazz saxophone ensemble, and a jazz guitar ensemble. The current jazz faculty at the University of Illinois is :
Chip McNeil - director of jazz and sax
Jim Pugh - jazz trombone
Chip Stephens - jazz piano
Dana Hall - jazz drums and jazz history
Tito Carrillo - jazz trumpet
Larry Gray - jazz bass
Joan Hickey - jazz piano
Glenn Wilson - jazz sax
Ron Bridgewater - jazz sax
For more information about the jazz program at the Univeristy of Illinois, CLICK HERE .
