The professor of music had two articles published in the professional saxophone journal.
Professor of Music Thomas Erdmann had two 6,000-word articles published in the January/February 2016 issue of Saxophone Today.
The first article is on Dan Higgins. Whether you know it or not you’ve heard multi-saxophone and woodwind artist, producer, composer and arranger Dan Higgins perform almost continually for the last 30-plus years. As the top of the top saxophone and woodwind artists working the Los Angeles studios Higgins has been called upon to provide his distinctive first-take-perfect and monster performance abilities to thousands of recordings in the film, TV and record industry. Not only has he been a regular in the ensembles performing on The Academy, Emmy, Grammy, SAG, People’s Choice, and Espy award programs, but he has also played on over 700 motion picture soundtracks. Among them are Awakenings, Batman Forever, The Bodyguard, A Bug’s Life, Catch Me If You Can (he’s the solo saxophoist on the title theme), Chicago, City Slickers, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, A League Of Their Own, Meet The Fockers, The Patriot, The Polar Express, Pretty Woman, Ray, Sideways, and Toy Story, to list just a few. Perhaps none of these are more famous than his saxophone solos as Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons.
As a member of the world-famous Jerry Hey Horn Section, Higgins has recorded with artists like Christina Aguilera, Patti Austin, Babyface, Clint Black, Michael Buble, Mariah Carey, Cher, Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Earth Wind and Fire, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifa, John Mayer, Katy Perry, Blake Shelton, Frank Sinatra, Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, and Neil Young, to list just a few. As a jazz artist of the highest caliber Higgins has worked with artists such as Louis Bellson, Stanley Clarke, Eddie Daniels, George Duke, Dave Grusin, Tom Harrell, Gerry Mulligan, Arturo Sandoval, and Phil Woods, among others. As a member of the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin big band Higgins recorded two albums and toured Europe and Japan, and he can be heard on jazz albums with Wayne Bergeron, Rosemary Clooney, Gordon Goodwin’s Phat Band, Quincy Jones, Sammy Nestico, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schurr, Bill Watrous, and Pat Williams. Additionally, under the direction of John Williams, Higgins has been a guest soloist with noted orchestras such as the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony and the New York Philharmonic performing Williams’ Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra, which formed part of the Theme from Catch Me If You Can. As if this isn’t enough, as an arranger Higgins contributed two arrangements on the 2013 Grammy winning Arturo Sandoval CD, Dear Diz, and arranged music for the film scores The Notebook, Princess And The Frog, and Water For Elephants, along with music for artists like Andrea Bocelli, Lyle Lovett, Bette Midler, and Pussycat Dolls, to again list just a few.
The second article is on Chris Vadala. Many know him from his time as the featured woodwind artist with Chuck Mangione, but he is also a monster classical, rock, R&B, and soul musician. With Mangione, Vadala won not just two Grammy awards, but also two Emmy, one Georgie (American Guild of Variety Artists award), and one Golden Globe. Among the other top-notch artists who have called upon Vadala’s one of a kind abilities in the studio or live in concert are Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Chick Corea, Placido Domingo, Ella Fitzgerald, Al Galladoro, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Doc Severinsen, New York Voices, Frankie Valli, Sarah Vaughn, Stevie Wonder, and Phil Woods, to list just a few. If one needs more validation of Vadala’s abilities he is also a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, has been the first call saxophonist with the National Symphony Orchestra for many years, and Downbeat listed him as a finalist in four different categories. As an orchestral soloist he’s performed with the Baltimore, Buffalo, Delaware, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Saint Louis, South Dakota, Syracuse, Vancouver, and American Festival Pops symphonies, to again list just a few. When he’s not concertizing and teaching Vadala serves as Director of Jazz Studies and Saxophone Professor, as well as a Distinguished Scholar-Teacher, at the University of Maryland.