Doug Stone | Saxophone

Doug Stone’s career has involved work as a touring musician, primarily with jazz trumpet legend Maynard Ferguson and his band, the Big Bop Nouveau, as well as with the “world-jazz” group Panoramic, and with a number of ensembles from Chicago, Illinois. His time on the road has taken him to virtually every corner of the United States as well as Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and Canada. As a member of groups at Northern Illinois University, Stone had the opportunity to perform with Frank Foster, Benny Golson, Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath, Rufus Reid, Larry Ridley, and Carl Allen. As a member of the Birch Creek Academy Band he has performed with jazz luminaries Dennis Mackrel, Harold Jones, Derrick Gardner, Tanya Darby, Reggie Thomas, and Clay Jenkins. He spent six years working full-time as a freelance saxophonist and woodwind player, teacher, composer, and arranger in the rich musical environment of Chicago. Mr. Stone can be heard on recordings from the Sam Craine Quartet, the Dave Hoffman Sextet, the NIU Jazz Ensemble and Jazztet, the Jazz Arranging Syndicate, Birch Creek Academy Big Band, the Ed Breazeale Group, the Ji Young Lee Quartet, the Stuart Mindeman Group, the Ian Torres Big Band, the John Burnett Orchestra, Panoramic, Quintopus, the Rick Holland Little Big Band, the Rich Thompson Quartet and Trio, the Westview Project, the John Nyerges Quintet, the Bob DiBaudo ensemble, the Eric Schmitz Sextet, and the Tom Marko ensemble. Stone has four recordings to his credit as a co-bandleader: Doug Stone/Josiah Williams “The Early Riser”, Stone/Ziemba Duo “In the Zone”, Nick Fryer/Doug Stone “Quartet”, and The Stone/Bratt Big Band “SBBB”. Stone is also a published arranger and composer (Kendor Music). His compositions and arrangements have been performed by professional, university, and high school level jazz ensembles throughout the United States. In 2009 Mr. Stone moved to Rochester, New York to pursue a double master’s degree in jazz performance and music education at the Eastman School of Music. He has performed in Rochester with the Dave Rivello Ensemble, the Westview Project, the Gap Mangione Big Band, Quintopus, the John Nyerges Duo and Quartet, Jeff Campbell, Rich Thompson, and other talented local jazz artists. While in western New York, Stone has worked with several noteworthy musicians including George Caldwell, Bobby Militello, Harold Danko, Gene Bertoncini, Bill Dobbins, Mark Ferber, Ike Sturm, Charles Pillow, Allen Vizzutti, and the Mambo Kings. Since 2009 Mr. Stone has taught private lessons, ensembles, and classes at the Eastman Community Music School (ECMS). He has also served as chair of the ECMS jazz department and has directed the prestigious Eastman Youth Jazz Orchestra. In 2012 Mr. Stone accepted a position as the director of jazz ensembles at the Rochester School of the Arts (SOTA) in Rochester, New York. He taught several ensembles, classes, and lessons at SOTA. In the summers Mr. Stone teaches at the Eastman Summer Jazz Studies Program, the Tri-Tone Jazz Camp, has previously served as co-director of the Eastman at Keuka College Jazz Camp, and served as assistant to the director at the Birch Creek Jazz Camp. Mr. Stone has held teaching positions at The State University of New York at Brockport, the Northern Illinois University Community School of the Arts in DeKalb, IL, and he worked as private saxophone, jazz, and small group instructor at St. Charles North High School in St. Charles, IL. Mr. Stone currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies at Louisiana State University.