Jerome Croswell
Jerome Imhotep Croswell, born in Chicago Illinois on July 5, 1980, attended Walt Disney Magnet School where he began playing trumpet and joined the concert band at the age of 10. Two years later he began studying Afro-Latin percussion with Carlos Quinto Eguis-Aguila, professional drummer and dancer from Havana Cuba. While in High School Jerome sang, danced and played percussion with Grupo Yuba – a traditional Puerto Rican folklore ensemble rooted in West African rhythm. While attending Naperville North High School, Jerome joined the big band jazz ensemble for a performance tour in Germany, which included; Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, and Strasbourg France giving Jerome a new worldly perspective on culture and human relationships. During his college years at Northeastern Illinois University, Jerome studied privately with classical trumpeter Dave Inman of the Chicago Lyric Opera, and postmodern jazz improvisation with Tito Carillo, and Danny Harper. After graduating from NEIU Jerome continued his overseas travels to Puerto Rico, Paris, France, Perugia Italy, Sardegna, and Poznan, Poland and Frankfurt Germany performing in Jazz Festivals and music educational workshops. Jerome is currently teaching at CAM (Chicago Academy of Music) and performs locally and internationally with the Great Black Music Ensemble, the Now Generation, Crosswind, Angel D' Cuba, Eiko Rikuhashi, PaTi, the Sound Mind Merchants, and Tom Tom Washington and The Southside Big Band.
