ELAX ATTACK JAZZ SERIES: BRIAN KROCK’S COAX

Every Monday and Tuesday, The Whistler presents Chicago’s top jazz artists in a lively atmosphere, full of cocktail-shaking and spirited conversation.

Brian Krock, alto sax
Sam Hasting, guitar
Dan Pierson, piano
Mike Harmon, bass
Matt Plaskota, drums

Alto saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Krock began his musical career at an early age. Before discovering his love of jazz music, he studied classical guitar and piano. His first attempts at composing were made in the 7th grade, when he recorded an entire album of original heavy-metal music on a digital recorder. He began seriously studying jazz music in high school, inspiring him to pursue a career dedicated to creating music.

A recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Composition from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, Brian was a student of world-renowned jazz composer Jim McNeely and classical composer Dr. J. Mark Stambaugh. His work as a composer and arranger has been lauded with numerous distinctions. Most recently, Brian was by Rufus Reid to compose a First Music Commission for the New York Youth Symphony. Brian will also be collaborating with the Metropole Orkest and Grammy-winning singer Lalah Hathaway in 2015. In 2012 he was awarded the Manhattan Prize in Composition for his String Quartet No. 1 (2010) as well as being awarded an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer’s Award. As Composer-in-Residence at the Bloomingdale School of Music in 2014, he wrote a plethora of music which he plans to record in the coming year.

Brian is also very active as a performer. His band, Life Size, kicked off 2014 with a tour of the Northeast in support of their debut record, Bright! He has also played with notable jazz artists such as Jamie Cullum, Jon Faddis, Matt Penman, David Liebman, Jim McNeely, and many more. As a woodwind doubler, Brian has toured the United States with Networks’ productions of Flashdance: The Musical and Dirty Dancing, as well as subbing on The Book of Mormon on Broadway- playing ten instruments, including oboe, recorders, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, and Bansuri. He looks forward to playing in two new productions this spring.