Brian Gorrell

Brian W. Gorrell serves as Director of Jazz Studies for the nationally respected program at the University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab. A former member of the Lawrence Welk Orchestra among other professional accolades, he also serves as Advisor for UCO’s Master of Music in Jazz Studies, teaches Applied Saxophone, and directs the award-winning "UCO Jazz Ensemble 1". Under his direction, UCO’s top ensemble has been recognized for outstanding large ensemble performances in Downbeat Magazine's Annual Student Music Awards in 2012, 2016, and 2019. The group also performed twice at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in December 2013/2021, and at Jazz Education Network (JEN) Conferences in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2019, and upcoming 2024. UCO’s Jazz Ensemble 1 very notably tied for first place in the collegiate jazz ensemble division at the prestigious Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival in March 2018. Professor Gorrell has presented lectures on jazz and saxophone pedagogy at the NASA Biennial National Conference. He currently serves as Music Director for the “Oklahoma City Jazz Orchestra” and leads his own group “Brian Gorrell & Jazz Company”. Gorrell completed a bachelor's degree in Music Education from UCO in 1995 and earned a Master of Music in Saxophone Performance at Oklahoma City University studying with acclaimed classical saxophonist Dr. Gail Hall in 1998. Gorrell has produced many album projects including "In Some Other World" (1995), "Soulmates" (1999), "In The Swing of Christmas" (2002), "Live at the UCO Jazz Lab" (2008), and as a director, “Swingin’ in 2012”, “Still Swingin’ in 2015”, “Spirit of Monterey” (2018) and “Resilience: Behind the Mask” (2021) with UCO’s Jazz Ensemble 1. RECENT VIDEO INTERVIEW (2022) https://youtu.be/5IQYHb8bN1E PRESENTATION: JAZZ VOCABULARY AT NASA https://youtu.be/1ICo1TgGq60