Bio
Eric Wendland Bio
Eric has been an active professional musician since age 13.
His father, a virtuoso pianist with perfect pitch, coached & trained Eric from age 3 on piano, then taught saxophone to Eric as well as music theory, composition, arranging, studio musician techniques in studio(s) as well as performance- based concepts including learning thousands of song titles.
While on summer break in August 1982, Eric’s father’s guitar player departed for Las Vegas. Eric’s father feverishly instructed & coached Eric for his first professional successful gig at age 13!
Since that time, Eric has achieved much in his musical pursuits.
Some of the highlights are Eric winning the coveted Downbeat Magazine Outstanding Soloist at age 17, performing with many famous artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Four Topps, Hootie & the Blowfish, Kenny Werner & many others. Also, Eric has been honored as Outstanding Soloist at the Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival, Aquinas College Jazz Festival, Western Michigan University Jazz Festival, Central Michigan Jazz Festival, Notre Dame Jazz Festival as well as many other awards & achievements throughout his musical career.
His father, a virtuoso pianist with perfect pitch, coached & trained Eric from age 3 on piano, then taught saxophone to Eric as well as music theory, composition, arranging, studio musician techniques in studio(s) as well as performance- based concepts including learning thousands of song titles.
While on summer break in August 1982, Eric’s father’s guitar player departed for Las Vegas. Eric’s father feverishly instructed & coached Eric for his first professional successful gig at age 13!
Since that time, Eric has achieved much in his musical pursuits.
Some of the highlights are Eric winning the coveted Downbeat Magazine Outstanding Soloist at age 17, performing with many famous artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Four Topps, Hootie & the Blowfish, Kenny Werner & many others. Also, Eric has been honored as Outstanding Soloist at the Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival, Aquinas College Jazz Festival, Western Michigan University Jazz Festival, Central Michigan Jazz Festival, Notre Dame Jazz Festival as well as many other awards & achievements throughout his musical career.
Also, Eric had the honor of performing with his jazz quartet at famous Carnegie Hall in NYC for concerts honoring bebop artists such as Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane et. al.
Eric has toured and continues to tour the USA, Europe and South America bringing the sweet sounds of his saxophones featuring bebop, chromaticism and commercial musical repertoires.
Eric has been incredibly fortunate, thanks to his father, to have studied with the foremost, leading jazz teachers in the USA including Mr. David Liebman (NYC), Mr. Trent Kynaston (WMU), Mr. David Baker (IU), Mr. Jamey Aebersold (play-along savant), Mr. Fred Bunch (Disney), Mr. James Boitis (ISU) and many other extraordinary teachers.
It was in the summer of 1984 when Eric was studying jazz in Chicago with Jamey Aebersold that Eric was formally introduced by Mr. David Baker (Indiana University Professor & Virtuoso Trombonist who worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis & others) to the basics of bebop.
Eric found bebop and chromaticism to be an epiphany. “It was like winning the music lottery to me”, says Eric!
His playing went to another level after the summer of 1984 as a result of his intense & deep study of bebop.
The purpose of the courses Eric is offering is to teach and coach young, aspiring jazz students the same incredible feeling(s) & knowledge learned by understanding and mastering bebop and chromaticism.
The results will be noticeable in a matter of only a few sessions & will be invaluable to serious jazz students.
To Your Success & Play Pretty,
Eric ~
Eric has toured and continues to tour the USA, Europe and South America bringing the sweet sounds of his saxophones featuring bebop, chromaticism and commercial musical repertoires.
Eric has been incredibly fortunate, thanks to his father, to have studied with the foremost, leading jazz teachers in the USA including Mr. David Liebman (NYC), Mr. Trent Kynaston (WMU), Mr. David Baker (IU), Mr. Jamey Aebersold (play-along savant), Mr. Fred Bunch (Disney), Mr. James Boitis (ISU) and many other extraordinary teachers.
It was in the summer of 1984 when Eric was studying jazz in Chicago with Jamey Aebersold that Eric was formally introduced by Mr. David Baker (Indiana University Professor & Virtuoso Trombonist who worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis & others) to the basics of bebop.
Eric found bebop and chromaticism to be an epiphany. “It was like winning the music lottery to me”, says Eric!
His playing went to another level after the summer of 1984 as a result of his intense & deep study of bebop.
The purpose of the courses Eric is offering is to teach and coach young, aspiring jazz students the same incredible feeling(s) & knowledge learned by understanding and mastering bebop and chromaticism.
The results will be noticeable in a matter of only a few sessions & will be invaluable to serious jazz students.
To Your Success & Play Pretty,
Eric ~