BOB FUSON BIOGRAPHY

Saxophonist, composer, and arranger Bobby Fuson II was born in Corbin, Kentucky and raised in Frederick, Maryland. A product of public school band programs, he picked up the saxophone at age 10 and was soon performing with local jazz ensembles and honor groups.

Bob has studied with Baltimore saxophonist Howard Burns, David Threlkeld of the University of the Cumberlands, and Dr. Paul Haar of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He studies jazz composition and arranging with Dr. Eric Richards and has pursued additional studies with Jerry Coker and Donald Brown.

In 2011 Bob was awarded a Hixson-Lied Grant through the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to study with world-renowned saxophonist Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Dave Matthews Band, and the Mu'Tet.

As a performer Bob has played with big bands throughout the southeast. He is an original member of the London Jazz Orchestra (London, KY) and has performed with the Streamliners (Knoxville, TN). At UNL he performs in the Graduate Jazz Combo (Gradtet) and the Jazz Orchestra, ensembles which have garnered national praise and reviews, including awards in Downbeat, at the KU Jazz Festival, and the Elmhurst College Jazz Festival. He appears on the UNL Jazz Orchestra album Homegrown, released in 2012.

Performances include concerts and masterclasses with Harry Allen, Bill Watrous, Antonio Hart, Matt Penman, Avishai Cohen, James Moody, Greg Abate, Rex Richardson, Gary Smulyan, Zim Nqwana, Jeff Coffin, Scott Wendholt, Clay Jenkins, Andy Claussen, Hans Sturm, and Jamey Aebersold. In 2009 Bob premiered "White Noise" by Australian composer Ralph Hultgren as principal saxophonist with the Kentucky Intercollegiate Band. His other premieres include the debut of "Treelines" commissioned by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jazz Orchestra by Christine Jensen and premiered with the composer and her sister, acclaimed jazz artist Ingrid Jensen, in 2011. Bob is sought after as an arranger and has arranged for numerous Kentucky high schools and the University of the Cumberlands "Pride of the Kentucky Mountains" marching band.

As a lecturer Bob has appeared at the 35th and 36th International Saxophone Symposiums hosted by the United States Navy, and performed at the 35th Symposium as a member of the Heartland Saxophone Quartet. Bob has also given lectures and masterclasses on the subjects of improvisation and jazz history throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as at the University of the Cumberlands and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Bob is the proud father of two boys, Carter and David, and happily married to wife Ashleigh. Outside of music he is a history buff and sports fan.

Bob has a Bachelors of Science in Music (University of the Cumberlands '09) and a Masters in Saxophone Performance with an emphasis in Jazz Studies (University of Nebraska-Lincoln '13). He is currently finishing his Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies at UNL where he studies with longtime mentor Dr. Paul Haar.