Jim Mair is a multi-instrumentalist specializing in saxophone, flute, percussion, jazz piano and voice. As a High School Student he played lead tenor in the Canadian High School All Star Big Band and that same year his Quintet was selected top combo in Canada. He has been a full time college professor for 20 years, recently the recipient of the Henry Louis Outstanding KCKCC Faculty member award, the League for Innovation Excellence in Education Award and in 2015 was awarded an Honorary Degree from the University of Western London, College of Music in the United Kingdom. As a director/performer, his groups have appeared at the Havana Jazz Festival in Cuba, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the IAJE Conference, Birdland in New York City along with the JVC Jazz Festival and Carnegie Hall. Since 1992, he has conducted multiple All State Jazz Ensembles and has served as a clinician/adjudicator across North America for the Conn Selmer Instrument company. He has been a CD reviewer for the Saxophone Journal and a jazz radio host across the northwestern United States for National Public Radio. Jim has been a featured cover story on four periodicals and also voted Best Saxophonist by the readers of JAM magazine in Kansas City. Jim and his wife Mary founded the non-profit Kansas City Jazz Orchestra and the Kansas City Jazz Alliance, two of Kansas City’s most active jazz organizations presenting a subscription series, monthly concerts, annual festivals and camps and frequent master classes. Jim holds music degrees from the University of Mary and the UMKC Conservatory of Music, and has done additional study at the Banff Jazz Workshop and the Aspen Music Festival.
Photo Credit: Dan White