Creative musician, saxophonist and composer Tom Gullion is a very strong, emotional and melodic player. His music is profoundly emotional and beautifully lyrical. Growing up in the Indianapolis area, he first studied with master teachers Larry Kirkman and Harry Miedema.
He went on to study with David N. Baker at Indiana University. It was there he shared experiences with fellow students Bob Hurst, Shawn Pelton, Chris Botti, Scott Wendholt, Jack Wilkins, Eric Alexander and many others. Studying and performing with David Baker provided an incredible foundation of Bebop and modern jazz traditions.
When jazz trombone legend J.J. Johnson put together a new quintet in 1988, Gullion, then a mere 22 years old, joined the group along with Cedar Walton, Rufus Reid and Victor Lewis. After several successful tours within the United States, Gullion decided to delay his professional career and finish his studies with David Baker at I.U.
Gullion then toured the world a bit: a brief stint in New York followed by a much longer period in Spain. While there, he toured Europe and performed extensively with the Spanish jazz group Clunia. They recorded a very successful CD, "Carpe Diem."
Apart from his busy schedule with Clunia, Gullion also worked and recorded with the Baldo Martinez Quartet, a piano-less avant garde ensemble, and the Tom Gullion Trio. As Gullion puts it: "The beauty of this piano-less format is that the harmonic and rhythmic possibilities of the music are opened up. But, at the same time, you have to shoulder more responsibility for everything you play. You really note the fine line between art and chaos!"
After moving to Chicago in 1995, Gullion has quickly established himself in the jazz scene there. He recorded two CDs, "Cat's Cradle" and "Greens and Blues," for Naim Audio (London) which included the best players in the Chicago scene: John Moulder (guitar), Rob Amster (bass), Steve Gillis (drums) and Paul Wertico (drums).
Gullion also immersed himself into the creative music scene on several other fronts. He performed numerous gigs and several recordings with singer/songwriter Nicholas Barron as well as many players in the avant garde tradition (such as Kahil El Zabar, Hamid Drake and Harrison Bankhead).
He now hails from a farm in rural Wisconsin which affords him the luxury of space and the beauty of the surrounding landscape. From this new locale, he's been collaborating with pianist/composer William Neil on Project Fourth Stream - a highly inventive duo as well as maintaining an ongoing presence in Chicago.
A signature trait of Gullion's performances, as noted by many jazz critics, is his communication with the ensemble and the audience. Intuition reigns supreme. To him, it's all about connection - between the musicians and with the audience.
For booking information, please contact:
Tom Gullion - Ting Jing Music
email: [email protected]
url: http://www.tingjing.com/tg
