Dr. Matthew White has been named Assistant Professor of Music at Coastal Carolina University.

At CCU, White will be responsible for all aspects of the trumpet studio as well as directing the CCU Big Band Jazz After Hours and other commercial and jazz music courses and ensembles. White holds a BM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Florida and an MMA and DMA in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Miami Frost School of Music.

 

From 2004 through 2012, White was active as an educator and freelance musician in South Florida and Nashville, appearing on a number of recordings as a trumpeter, writer, and producer and backing numerous artists and ensembles. White was the featured soloist with the Nashville Jazz Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Duffy Jackson Big Band, the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, the Gene Krupa Big Band, numerous orchestras and pop ensembles, and artists as diverse as: Bob Mintzer, Wycliffe Gordon, Kevin Mahogany, Arturo Sandoval, Dave Leibman, Rihanna, Paul Anka, Bruce Hornsby, Brian Setzer, Brad Paisley, Mike Farris, Melinda Dolittle, and others in addition to leading his own ensemble, the Super Villain Jazz Band. He has appeared on live radio broadcasts of the Grand Ole Opry, The Country Music Christmas Television Special, and numerous major label and independent recordings. White won Downbeat Student Music Awards in Best Jazz Soloist, Best Arrangement, and Best Original Song categories. In 2009 he was invited as an American jazz trumpet representative for the International Association of Schools of Jazz conference in Lucern, Switzerland and was a member of Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead residency in 2004. He has received recognition on NPR's All Things Considered, The Washington Post, and various musical publications.

In 2011, White published his dissertation research on Visualization in Jazz Improvisation, which was the first academic work to explore the connections between visual imagery, jazz improvisation, and musical perception among prominent improvisers. He continues to write about the topic in the self-published Super Villain Jazz Blog.

Before coming to CCU, White taught at Belmont University, the Nashville Jazz Workshop, and the University of Miami.

Source: Max Matzen, Assistant Professor of Trumpet, Texas Tech University