Steve Torok - Eye to Eye (2015)

Tracklist

01. Sister Sadie
02. Summertime
03. Nature Boy
04. Ommetaphobia
05. Ben
06. Blue Skies
07. The Haunting
08. Star Wars Suite: Main Theme Mambo
09. Star Wars Suite: Imperial Funk
10. Star Wars Suite: Cantina Swing
11. Gita
12. Nature Boy (Live) [With Elephant Percussion]

Southern California saxophonist, arranger, composer Steve Torok has performed with Stevie Wonder, Usher, The Temptations, Four Tops, Sheila E, O'Jays, Brian Bromberg, Pete Escovedo, Dan Siegel, Taj Mahal, and many others. His saxophone playing or arrangements have been featured on numerous national recordings including the hit TV shows The Voice and American Idol. Notable jazz artists including funky trombonist Fred Wesley, saxophonists Ernie Watts, Tom Scott, and Kenny G, vocalist Carmen Bradford, and klezmer violinist Yale Strom have performed his arrangements.

Eye to Eye, co-produced by Dan Siegel, represents an eclectic array of Steve’s works: original tunes, arrangements of standards, jazz arrangements of Star Wars music (created for Lucasfilm, Ltd. and premiered at Star Wars Celebration III), and music with elephant percussion. See below for a note from Steve regarding both the Star Wars and Elephant music. The recording features some of the best Los Angeles studio musicians. See below for full credits.

Steve is a professor at MiraCosta College in Oceanside, CA where he chairs the department, teaches saxophone, improvisation, music theory, and history, and directs both MOJO (MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra) and the Jazz Collective. MOJO was awarded a 2015 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Award for Outstanding Large Jazz Ensemble. Steve was also selected as a clinician and ensemble director for the 2015 Jazz Education Network Conference in San Diego. Past teaching positions include the University of Southern California, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College, Idyllwild Arts Academy, and Mount San Jacinto College.

Steve holds a BFA in saxophone performance from Carnegie Mellon University, an MM in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern California, and has achieved ABD status in the music education doctoral program at Boston University.

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