Emory Jazz Artist Affiliates

Dan Baraszu, guitar

Detroit-born, guitarist-composer Dan Baraszu started playing guitar at age nine. Early in his career, he explored many different styles of music. However, when he first heard the genius of jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery, Baraszu devoted himself to becoming a die-hard jazz artist. His major influences include guitarists Joe Pass, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, and John Scofield, as well as other instrumentalists like Bill Evans, Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Charlie Parker. Baraszu received a bachelor’s degree from the renowned Berklee College of Music, where he majored in jazz composition and arranging, and a master’s degree from the University of Miami with a major in jazz pedagogy.

Justin Chesarek, drums

Justin Chesarek began performing at the age of 12 with Pittsburgh jazz legend Harold Betters and spent time listening to live performances by Roger Humphries, well-known for his work with Horace Silver. After earning a bachelor’s degree in music education from Slippery Rock University, he attained a master of music degree in jazz studies at Georgia State University. Chesarek performs regularly with the Joe Alterman Trio— appearing at the Blue Note in New York City and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He has also performed at the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival in Alaska, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and the Atlanta Jazz Festival. Chesarek teaches jazz percussion at Kennesaw State University. His students have gone on to become professional touring musicians, Broadway theater pit players, and top-call Atlanta drummers. He is a proud endorser of Canopus drums.

Randy Hunter, saxophone

Randy Hunter is a professional saxophonist, educational author, and private music instructor from Marietta, Georgia. He studied music education with an emphasis in jazz pedagogy at Valdosta State College. Focused on generating educational jazz material, Hunter developed a series of étude, duet, and combo method books titled Complete Jazz Styles, which has been endorsed by several well-known jazz artists including Joe Lovano, Jerry Bergonzi, Randy Brecker, Bobby Shew, and John Fedchock. He also created jazz improvisation-oriented instructional material in multimedia format, including several eBooks. At Emory, Hunter teaches jazz saxophone and is the assistant director of the Emory Big Band.

Michael Cruse, trombone/trumpet, combo instructor

Jazz artist and composer Michael Cruse is known for his unique take on the singing and trumpet-playing style of the incomparable Louis Armstrong. Cruse’s compositions and arrangements have been used in television, film, and commercial music. Born into a gospel family, Cruse developed a deep love for performing music at a young age. His uncle, Charles Quillings, who taught and performed with Les McCann, taught him the trumpet and how to read and write his own music. Cruse studied jazz performance and composition at the University of Cincinnati–College Conservatory of Music. After graduating, he released his first CD titled Unbridled featuring the Michael Cruse Quintet. His latest single, You (2020), is available on music streaming platforms. Cruse frequently performs in the Atlanta area and tours nationally in various concert halls, jazz festivals, and jazz clubs.

Chris Riggenbach, double bass and electric bass

Chris Riggenbach has played double bass and electric bass with Josh Groban, Matt Catingub, Jens Lindemann, Steve Moretti, Wycliffe Gordon, Victor Goines, Ted Howe, Keith David, Chloe Agnew, Karla Harris, Sarah Partridge, Vecinos del Mundo (led by Jerry Fields), Orquestra Macuba, Marcus Lewis, Jazz Legacy Big Band (led by David Pruyn), the Gwinnett Symphony Wind Orchestra, and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra, among others. He has also played internationally on cruise ships in performances of The Sound of Music , Camelot, Catch Me If You Can , Dreamgirls, and Bonnie & Clyde. In 2010, he performed in Poland with the Josh Lawrence Jazz 3 at the Sopot Molo Jazz Festival and at Piwnica pod Baranami in Krakow. Riggenbach has advanced degrees in jazz studies from Georgia State University. He studied bass with Ralph Jones, Thomas Thoreson, Dee Moses, Neal Starkey, Rich Nanista, and Robert Dickson. Riggenbach teaches bass and directs the jazz combos at Emory.