Gunnar Mossblad

Office: 2015 Moore Musical Arts Center Phone: (419) 372-2953 Email: jm@bgnet.bgsu.edu From In The Pocket liner notes: Gunnar Mossblad, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and educator from Omaha, Nebraska, earned a B.M. in Jazz Studies and an M.M. in Saxophone Performance at the University of North Texas. He was Professor of Saxophone and Coordinator of Jazz Studies at James Madison University for 17 years and is currently on the West Chester University School of Music faculty. Gunnar's collaborations include David Liebman, Marv Stamm, Steve Houghton, Clay Jennings, Jim Riddle, John D'Earth, Doc Severinson, Woody Herman, Mel Torme and John Coates, Jr. He is the founder of Visions, a contemporary jazz quintet and The Manhattan Saxophone Ensemble. His compositions and performances are on Visions (FLC 5098), with The Manhattan Saxophone Ensemble, David Liebman's Classique (OWL066CD) and with Liebman on Joy: The Music of John Coltrane (CCD79531). His recent release is Convergence (MM-20001). Gunnar tours the world as a clinician for the Selmer Saxophone company
Gunnar Mossblad is an exciting tenor saxophonist from the New York Jazz scene, and a seasoned musician with over twenty years of performing experience throughout the U.S. and Europe. He began his early musical training in his home town of Omaha, Nebraska, and went on to study at the internationally renowned University of North Texas (UNT). After earning Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at UNT, he moved to Virginia to teach at James Madison University where he is currently the Coordinator of Jazz Studies and Professor of Saxophone. From his base of operation in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, he launched a professional career which has included performances and/or recordings with such artists as David Liebman, John Coates, Jr., Marvin Stamm, John D'earth, Charlie Haden & The Liberation Orchestra, Doc Severinsen, Tommy Newsom, Phil Mattson, Lou Fischer, Robert Jospe, Jamey Haddad, and the group Cosmology.
Gunnar Mossblad's first group, Visions, was a contemporary jazz quintet that served as a vehicle for his original compositions and personal musical identity. The group performed extensively throughout the eastern seaboard, receiving the support of critics and reviewers as well as enthusiastic audiences. Their work culminated with the critically acclaimed recording "Visions"(FLC 5098), which is distributed internationally by Four Leaf Clover Records. As the leader of Visions he gained an outstanding reputation as a respected improviser and composer.
In the early nineties Gunnar took a sabbatical from teaching and moved to New York where, in addition to performing in the jazz scene, formed The Manhattan Saxophone Ensemble, a saxophone quartet which merges the classical tradition with American jazz music to create a unique and fresh sound. The quartet's work has included performances nationwide and a collaboration with Dave Liebman on his recording "Classique" (OWL066CD) as well as a critically acclaimed recording "Convergence" (MM-20002) distributed in the US by North Country Records. Demand for The Manhattan Saxophone Ensemble has grown, and they recently completed their second recording project. Gunnar has also recorded several big band CDs including "Joy: The Music of John Coltrane", which received a four star review in Downbeat Magazine.
In addition to his performing career, Gunnar is active as a composer and arranger, having scored several films and videos as well as over 50 original compositions for a variety of large and small ensembles. He is currently working on a series of saxophone methods and supplementals books for FJH Music, Inc. based in Florida.
Gunnar Mossblad's page at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403.