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.
