Since the mid-1990s, Terell Stafford has performed with such groups as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, and Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. With the Hamilton Clayton Jazz Orchestra, he performed on Diana Krall’s Grammy-nominated From this Moment On (2006). Stafford is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University.
Directed by Professor Jeff Hellmer, the UT Jazz Orchestra is the Butler School of Music’s premiere jazz ensemble. The Jazz Orchestra has performed with such luminaries as Michael Brecker, Phil Woods, Bob Brookmeyer, Conrad Herwig, John Clayton, Maria Schneider, Stefon Harris, and Joshua Redman in recent years. The ensemble’s eclectic repertoire features original compositions of its members.
“When he performs, Stafford’s fingers are reaching for more than notes. Whether squeezing the pathos out of a bent note or tugging on the tail end of an eighth-note run, he is painting us a bigger picture, telling his story.” — JazzTimes
“It has become a rule of thumb that university Jazz ensembles keep getting better and better, and the UT Jazz Orchestra is certainly no exception to the rule.”
— All About Jazz