Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
J. RIchard Dunscomb presented workshops on conducting and led jazz clinics throughout the United States, Australia, Europe, Canada, Sweden, Japan and South America.
(Photo: Courtesy the Dunscomb Family)J. Richard Dunscomb, a leading authority in the fields of jazz and music education, died Nov. 12. The octogenarian jazz luminary was recognized internationally as a guest conductor, author, adjudicator, clinician and consultant. He was a Professor Emeritus of Music at Columbia College Chicago, where he formerly chaired the Music Department.
Duscomb served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Midwest Clinic and was on the Board of Advisors for the Chicago Jazz Institute.
Raised in Decatur, Illinois, Dunscomb played trumpet in middle school and high school ensembles, and he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Millikin University. His first teaching gig was at Argo High School in suburban Chicago, followed by a stint at Champaign (Illinois) Central High School. At the collegiate level, he developed the jazz program at Purdue University in Indiana, where he worked for 14 years, and later went on to start the jazz program at Florida International University in Miami, which included the Cuban-born trumpeter Arturo Sandoval among its faculty. After the passing of composer/educator/bandleader William Russo in 2023, Dunscomb joined the faculty of Columbia College Chicago, helping to transform the school’s music program into a modern, forward-facing institution. Throughout his career, Dunscomb was recognized with honors and awards for conducting, teaching and service from several universities. The International Association of Jazz Educators elected him to its Hall of Fame, and the Midwest Clinic awarded Dunscomb the Medal of Honor.
“Dick had been a professional influence on me since 1987 and a friend and colleague since I joined the [Midwest] board in 1994,” said Antonio J. García, Secretary of the Midwest Clinic Board of Directors. “His absence, aside from personal loss, is a huge loss to the board, as he constantly strove to advance Midwest’s mission and the positive reach of jazz education within it. For his initial decade on the board he was its sole jazz representative, creating most of Midwest’s jazz initiatives as still exist today.”
Dunscomb was the North American Coordinator for the Montreux (Switzerland) International Jazz Festival for 18 years and served as Executive Director of the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. He was also an educational consultant for Conn-Selmer.
“I first met J. Richard ‘Dick’ Dunscomb in 1988, when he judged my high school jazz ensemble at the Music Fest Jazz Festival in Orlando,” wrote jazz educator Jose Antonio Diaz, founder and artistic director of Diaz Music Institute, in a Facebook tribute to his longtime friend and mentor. “At the time, I had already encountered incredible jazz educators — Bunky Green, Conrad O. Johnson, Alvin Batiste, Bob Morgan, Ron Carter and others who shaped the landscape of jazz education. But even among legends, Dick stood apart.
“Dick was passionate — fiercely passionate — about jazz education. But even more than that, he was passionate about people. … His influence shaped generations of musicians, educators and leaders.”
Through his work with IAJE, Warner Brothers Music, Alfred/Belwin Jazz Music and other entities, Dunscomb presented hundreds of workshops on conducting and led jazz clinics throughout the United States, Australia, Europe, Canada, Sweden, Japan and South America.
Dunscomb’s recent publications include Jazz Pedagogy: The Jazz Educator’s Handbook and Resource Guide (with Dr. Willie Hill Jr.), a publication designed to provide a foundation and structure to plan and implement a successful jazz program, available from Alfred/Belwin Music; Jazz Tone…The Beginning, a beginning jazz method for big bands, available from Print Music Source and J.W. Pepper; and Jazz Zone Together, a series of interviews (accessible at no charge) with nearly 80 jazz artists/educators sharing arts, music and jazz information, along with their stories and tips. DB
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