John Wasson composer / arranger

John Wasson (b. 1956) leads a busy life as a composer, arranger, producer and performer. His works have been performed by such notable organizations as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the U.S. Air Force “Airmen of Note”, The Gatlin Brothers, and the Dallas Brass. He has written commissioned works for the Symphony Orchestras of Minnesota, Houston, Dallas, Virginia Beach and Fort Worth, as well as the U. S. Air Force Academy Band and the Dallas Wind Symphony.

John has written and produced music for advertising and television clients such as Electronic Data Systems, the Salvation Army, Zola Levitt Ministries, Radio Shack, Stop N Go, and Kern's Nectars.

As a low brass performer, John has been a member of the Stan Kenton and Woody Herman Orchestras and the Dallas Brass. He has worked with such notable artists as Michael Bolton, Tony Bennett, Bill Conti, Cab Calloway, Reba McIntyre, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Jr., Richard Stolzman, and Joe Williams. He also leads his own performing groups the Strata Big Band and the CoolBrass Jazztet.

John received his Bachelor of Music in Theory and his Masters of Music in Trombone Performance at the University of North Texas, where he played in the internationally acclaimed One O'Clock Lab Band, and was a teaching fellow in Jazz Arranging with Paris Rutherford.