Arts
John Gray is an award-winning music educator, musician and entrepreneur based out Baton Rouge, La. A proud alumnus of McKinley High School (c/o 98’) and the Southern University Music Department, Gray’s foundation began on the stadium fields as a member of both the McKinley High and Southern University marching bands and has manifested into an astonishing career in the realm of music education, independent artistry and music business. Under the mentorship of the late jazz great/Master Teacher, Alvin Batiste, Gray received his Associate of Arts in Jazz (01’) as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Performance (05’) from Southern University. In the decade that would follow his undergraduate studies, Gray has been named as The Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra’s Teacher of the Year (2013-2014), he has been the recipient of the Master Teacher Award at the Dunham School where he currently teaches, he has also been awarded The LINK’s Role Model of the Year award (in 2014), and also has been named as one of Louisiana Life Magazine’s Louisianians of The Year, as well as Arts Ambassador by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. He’s been named as one of the People to Watch in 2015 by The Drum Magazine, and a Top 40 Under 40 Black Entrepreneurs for 2014-2015. He has also received artist residency training through the renown Kennedy Center for the Arts and completed training at the Jazz @ Lincoln Center’s Directors Academy. He is a 2015 graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s Leadership Class, and has been a TEDx speaker as well as a 99u speaker. John currently teaches full time at the Dunham School, and performs professionally with The JGrayJazz Trio, The Michael Foster Project, The Soul Jukeboxx, The Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and The Treme Brass Band. He also runs his own music company, Continuum Music, specializing in the recording, promotion, and booking of jazz artists and their music.If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests.For show notes and past guests, please visit dougstonejazz.com/podcast-1Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the sponsor formDiscover Doug’s music: dougstonejazz.com/musicInstagram: instagram.com/dougstonejazzsaxophoneFacebook: facebook.com/dougstoneBoston Sax Shop