Jason Kush

From April 16, 2012

From April 16, 2012

Listening to his dad’s 1970’s records had Dr. Jason Kush falling in love with the sounds of horns, especially the saxophone.

Kush, saxophonist and professor at Slippery Rock University, has loved the saxophone as far as he could remember. To him, it was all about the look of a saxophone, the sound, and watching other’s perform.

“I used to watch the Tonight Show when Branford Marsalis was the musical director,” he said. “I just loved anything that was saxophone.”

Kush began taking saxophone lessons around the age of 11 he said. He thought saxophones were so cool and his life was all about them. He kept on playing right through college where he graduated from SRU in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education. Following his education at SRU, Kush went on to get a Masters in Music at the University of Miami, he said.

“I received my Masters in jazz saxophone,” Kush said. “While being a teaching assistant at the University of Miami I received my Doctorate in classical saxophone.”

In addition to being a professor, Kush said he’s also a performer outside of the University.
The Jason Kush Quartet is a jazz group of his own which consists of saxophone, bass, piano and drums, he said. He’s also had the pleasure of playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony which occurs five to six times out of the year. Kush said he’ll be performing with the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra all week with a feature from Benny Golson, a jazz tenor saxophonist, who he said is one of the greatest of all time.

“I also do some traveling,” he said. “I just completed a mid-west tour with the Nathan Douds Ensemble where I played the saxophone as well as the clarinet.”

Kush’s works extended beyond teaching and performing in various groups. He’s written an article about his former teacher, Agnes McConaughy, from Johnstown, Pa., for the International Musician and a recent article for the Saxophone Journal, he said.

Another high note for Kush was the project for the Henry Mancini Institute. He said he participated in the four week long professional summer workshop in 2006. During that time he and others did a recording with jazz clarinet player, Eddie Daniels and jazz saxophonist, Tom Scott. Two of those track arrangements were nominated for the Grammy’s.

He said he feels like he has no choice because the saxophone picked him and he certainly loves his career. Not only does it make him happy, he likes to teach others and share his passion through his performances he said.

Kush said he loves everything about teaching, playing the saxophone, and his performing career, but the most important and exciting thing going on in he and his wife’s life, is the birth of their first son in July.

From April 16, 2012

From April 16, 2012