From Bublé to bebop: Catching up with Chris Glassman
Interlochen’s new director of jazz chats about his musical roots, teaching philosophy, and vision for the future of jazz at Interlochen.
Director of Jazz Chris Glassman.
It’s been just over one year since Chris Glassman joined Interlochen’s faculty as Interim Director of Jazz Studies.
A lot has happened in that year. In April, the Interlochen Arts Academy Jazz Orchestra won first place in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Regional Competition in East Lansing. This fall, pianist Bryn Roberts and saxophonist Andrew Bishop joined the Academy’s jazz faculty. And in October, the Jazz Orchestra’s upcoming performance of Duke Ellington’s The Nutcracker Suite at the Bay Community Theatre in Suttons Bay sold out so quickly that a second performance was added.
But perhaps the biggest development is a change to Glassman’s title.
“The ‘interim’ is crossed out, and I’m the Director of Jazz Studies—which is amazing and very exciting,” Glassman said in a recent interview. “I’m really loving it: the students, the program, my colleagues, the building, the administration. You can just tell that everybody cares about the students first.”
Glassman brings a diverse set of experiences to his role as an educator. A bass trombonist and avid improviser, Glassman has performed with legendary acts such as Michael Bublé, The Temptations, and the Four Tops and appeared on coveted stages such as Madison Square Garden and Dizzy’s Club. He has also released several small-group jazz recordings as a bandleader; written arrangements for the Airmen of Note, Michael Bublé, and other jazz artists; and worked in arts entrepreneurship. Now, in his second year at Interlochen, Glassman is eager to continue shaping the next generation of jazz musicians both as artists and as citizens.
“I always tell my students that you have to be a human first, a community member second, and an artist third,” Glassman said. “If the students who have been in my presence are inspired to be great people, I’ve done my job.”
From reluctant trombonist to touring musician
Glassman’s first foray into music was as a drummer—following in the footsteps of his father and brothers. His mother, eager to avoid sibling rivalries, steered Glassman in a different direction.
“When it came time to pick an instrument for band, my mom said, ‘Please, just pick something else,’” Glassman recalled. “To get back at her, I chose the next-loudest instrument in the band after the drums and the piccolo: the trombone.”
Glassman admits that his high school self was a far cry from the dedicated students he now teaches.
“I tell my students all the time that I think I practiced my instrument a grand total of eight hours throughout my entire high school career,” Glassman said. “Truthfully, at 16 or 17, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t even know who I was.”
Uncertain about his goals for the future, Glassman followed his older brother—now a percussionist with the United States Air Force Academy Band—to the University of Denver. While earning his bachelor’s degree in classical trombone, Glassman became disillusioned with the orchestral path.
“I love classical repertoire, but as a trombonist, the symphony gig is another beast,” he said. “You have to play four measures of music, consistently, correctly, every single time, with extreme precision. For me, the goal of playing in an orchestra wasn’t a strong enough drive to have that level of patience. I just wanted to play more. That being said, I still love every opportunity to play in a band or orchestra.”
Glassman began playing with a big band and a jazz combo and quickly found his creative spark.
“I was really excited about jazz,” he said. “Once I graduated, I was trying to decide what my next step was. I thought, ‘I haven’t had the opportunity to really study jazz.’”
Propelled by the goal of becoming a studio musician, Glassman began applying for graduate programs in jazz. Around the same time, he discovered trombonist and Michigan State University Professor of Jazz Trombone Michael Dease.
“I heard his playing, and I said, ‘That’s how I want to play the trombone,’” Glassman said. “That was a big moment for me, because I had never had a trombonist that I had identified with that much, that quickly. I thought, ‘This is what it’s supposed to sound like.’”
Glassman went on to earn his master’s degree under Dease at Michigan State University. Shortly after graduating, he took a job as a career coach in MSU’s music department.
“That was one of the most influential six months of my entire life,” Glassman said. “My boss, Christine Bastian, changed how I communicate and talk to people. It’s one thing to play your instrument, but if you can’t talk to people; communicate; be clear, direct, and kind in an email; and stay organized, you don’t have a chance to be an administrator, teacher, or anything else that requires you to be professional.”
Glassman’s stint as a career coach concluded when he was invited to tour with Canadian singer Michael Bublé. After touring with Bublé in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South America for a year, Glassman was invited to audition for the role of Interim Director of Jazz Studies at Interlochen. He was offered the position, and began his new role in Fall 2023.
Each one teach one
As an educator, Glassman draws inspiration from a phrase he learned from one of his mentors, renowned jazz bassist and educator Rodney Whitaker.
“There’s an idea that came from the pre-Civil War era: Many enslaved families, when one of them would learn how to read or write, would share what they’d learned with others,” Glassman said. “They would say, ‘Each one teach one.’ That concept was so profound to me, and it has become so deeply rooted in my teaching that it’s the core of everything I do. I want to teach my students to be great people, to love learning, and to feel inspired to share their knowledge with others. That’s what Rodney Whitaker does, and what his mentors like Marcus Belgrave and Barry Harris did before him—and so on through Mary Lou Williams and beyond.”
Glassman has also been inspired by one of Interlochen’s core values, Solo e Tutti.
“‘Solo’ means pursuing excellence in your craft through self-development and learning how to teach yourself,” he said. “Teaching yourself requires patience and a commitment to musicianship as self-improvement.”
“The ‘tutti’ part means that no art exists in a vacuum,” Glassman continued. “My favorite pieces of art and music, the ones that continue to stand the test of time for me, are the ones created through collaboration.”
Glassman says the competitive yet supportive environment at Interlochen Arts Academy mirrors the creative hotspots where jazz was born.
“Bebop was developed at Minton’s Playhouse,” he said. “There were so many musicians in the bebop canon who were there: Thelonius Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Christian. These musicians were getting together every day. They were actually trying to compete with each other, but that community became a Petri dish for excellence.”
A vision for the future
Now, with his status as a permanent member of the Interlochen community solidified, Glassman is planning for the future of jazz at Interlochen.
“Thinking about my hopes starts with an act of gratitude: Looking at what’s really working, and there are things that are really, really working,” he said. “It’s a matter of continuing to take advantage of the resources that are available and continuing to have committed faculty. Pretty much everything else I see for the vision is either supplementary or additive.”
Glassman has already made progress toward his first goal: Bringing more guest artists to campus for longer visits.
“We’ve got a couple of great guest artists coming this year,” he said. “We recently welcomed Camille Thurman to our school, and she played with our students at the City Opera House in Traverse City. We’re averaging about two to three major guests per year, which is an improvement from the past.”
He also hopes to institute an annual tour.
“I would love to be able to take the students on some kind of tour at least once a year,” he said. “I want to perform at schools around the state—Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids—utilizing our local sphere or even at a national or international stage every year.”
Glassman’s greatest ambition, however, is to compete in—and win—the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington Big Band Competition. This year, he has combined the school’s Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Combo concerts to give students time to prepare for the competition.
“I want to win this competition because I know we’ve got all the ‘secret sauce’ we need,” he said. “We just need to make sure that the band is prepared, make sure that we have our ducks in a row, and get some good recordings.”
Putting down roots
As Glassman settles into his permanent role, he’s quick to recognize the colleagues and loved ones who have supported him throughout his Interlochen journey.
“Courtney Kaiser-Sandler has become my closest mentor; she’s always giving me amazing advice and pushing me to follow my teaching philosophy,” he said. “The whole contemporary music department is amazing. We’re down on the garden level, and we have this wonderful little nerd community. Being part of a community, especially with people that you trust and that are honest, means you can constantly get feedback.”
“Eric Stomberg, the director of music, is really doing amazing things for this program,” he continued. “[Provost] Camille Colatosti has championed jazz—and me—since day one. And [President] Trey Devey, a fellow trombonist, is really leading Interlochen with care and commitment to students, excellence, and continuing Interlochen’s legacy in new and exciting ways.”
He also offers a special shout-out to his wife, Dr. Christine Roberts. A vocalist with advanced degrees in both voice and musicology, Roberts has not only supported Glassman, but has also shared her own talents with the Interlochen community as an adjunct instructor of voice and Artist Relations & Special Projects Manager for Interlochen Presents.
“She’s the best,” Glassman said. “Every good idea that ever came from me actually secretly came from her. She’s just too humble to take the credit for it.”
From shepherding the jazz program at Interlochen to leading a professional big band at The Alluvion in Traverse City, it’s clear that Glassman is already deeply invested in the northern Michigan music scene.
“We’ve got our roots down,” he said. “It’s really amazing.”
Want to keep up with Chris Glassman? Follow him on TikTok and Instagram at @brassglassman or on Facebook.
