Rob Parton is Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet and Chair of Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas where he also teaches trumpet and the Two O'Clock Lab Band. Prior to joining the faculty at UNT, he held positions at Capital University, Roosevelt University and Chicago State University. A dedicated jazz educator, he has directed All-State Jazz Ensembles in twelve states and served as a clinician at universities and high schools throughout the United States.
A versatile and in-demand trumpet player, Parton has been called on to perform or record the music of diverse composers from Karel Husa to Leonard Bernstein to Duke Ellington. He has performed with many of America's major orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, to name a few. He has also performed as lead trumpet on numerous Broadway shows in the Midwest and with Grammy, Tony and Academy Award-winning artists from Faith Hill to Natalie Cole to Tony Bennett. As a recording artist, Parton has performed on hundreds of recordings for national commercials and with various artists on Concord, Verity, Mark Records, Sea Breeze and Sony record labels.
While comfortable in various musical settings, be it jazz trio or brass quintet or as a soloist with larger ensembles, leading a professional big band is the area in which he has enjoyed the most acclaim. Founded in 1984, the Rob Parton Big Band has released eleven recordings, received three preliminary Grammy nominations, performed at the Midwest Clinic three times, at the International Trumpet Guild Conference and at numerous jazz festivals featuring guest artists such as Lew Soloff, Conte Candoli and Joe Williams. Dozens of the Band's recordings and live videos can be found on YouTube.
