January 2022 Winner: Jack Towse

This issue’s featured young artist award winner is Jack Towse, a nineteen-year-old trumpeter and Cannonball trumpet artist from Huntington Long Island, NY. Jack graduated from Friends Academy High School in June 2021 and began his bachelors degree in jazz performance at Juilliard this past fall. Ever since he was 12-years-old, Jack attended the Manhattan School of Music PreCollege division studying both classical and jazz trumpet. While attending MSM, he studied with Jonathan Heim, Nadje Noordhuis and Jeremy Manasia, he attended theory, ear training, jazz history and composition and arranging classes, performed in jazz combos and also played in the orchestra. Speaking of Jack’s playing Nadje Noordhuis says, “he can transcribe difficult passages on the spot, play with a beautiful and full sound, and execute challenging intervallic leaps perfectly. He can swap between classical and jazz interpretations with the greatest of ease, and is an extremely gifted soloist in both jazz improvisations and in the classical realm.” In 2017, Jack was invited to join the Jazz at Lincoln Center High School Jazz Academy where he played under the direction of Ted Nash and Tatum Greenblatt. With the Lincoln Center band, he had the opportunity to play three to four shows a year at Dizzy’s club performing with several artists. Jack also performed in his high school’s jazz band and participated in All County and All State competitions, performing with the All State jazz band his junior and senior years of high school. In 2018, he attended the Summer Jazz Academy at Lincoln Center studying with Marcus Printup followed by the opportunity to tour Taiwan and China with Sean Jones in 2019.  

Jack has also been successful in national and international competitions. In the National Trumpet Competition Junior Division, Jack placed in 3rd place in 2016 and 2nd place in 2017. In 2018, Jack placed in 2nd place in the I.T.G. Youth competition. In January 2021, he was one of seven high school students named a finalist in the Young Arts Jazz Division. Jack also excels academically, taking several AP classes sophomore through senior year of high school and earning top honors each year for his grades.

Some of his favorite trumpet players include Kenny Wheeler, Freddie Hubbard and Eddie Henderson. He is very grateful for his experiences at MSM and Jazz at Lincoln center as they greatly shaped his character and his playing. He also cites Nick Mondello as being very influential in his development as a player since he introduced Jack to opportunities such as NTC and ITG. Jack’s family is another important influence as his older brother Sam plays jazz piano and studies at MSM, his younger brother Spencer plays the drums and attends the MSM PreCollege division and Jazz at Lincoln Center and his father plays guitar. Jack’s favorite hobbies include photography, hanging out on the beach and swimming in the ocean. As the January 2022 ITG Young Artist Award recipient, he will receive a one-year complimentary membership to ITG.  Congratulations Jack!

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