Community Partnerships - Golden West College

A Swingin’
Musical
Star:Tom Kubis
by Martie Ramm Engle
Musical arranging is defined as “the art of
preparing and adapting an already written
musical composition for presentation in other
than its original form. Arranging is the art of
giving an existing melody musical variety.”
With this lofty definition in mind, Golden
West College can boast that for nearly 30
years, a superstar in the world of music, jazz,
composing and musical arranging has been
a part of the GWC music faculty. Our own
musical superstar? None other than Tom
Kubis, winner of the 2008 Los Angeles
Jazz Society Composer/Arranger Award
presented in an awards ceremony this past
October by jazz legend Jack Sheldon. Kubis
has just been announced as the recipient of
the Distinguished Alumni Award in Music
from California State University, Long
Beach to be presented in May 2009.
Is there something special about Golden West
College that keeps Tom Kubis teaching here
since 1978? “I first came here in 1978 when
Dave Anthony and others wanted someone
who could teach arranging and composing,”
states Tom Kubis. “That is why I was hired.
They were all my friends. I really enjoy
teaching and have had great students. And,
the college is in Huntington Beach, the world’s
greatest city.”
Kubis, an outstanding flute and saxophone
player, has become one of the most sought
after big band and jazz composers and
arranger in the world of professional music.
Born in Los Angeles, Tom was raised in
6 Wav e l e n g t h WInteR 2009
Huntington Beach and attended Orange
Coast College where he studied under
Doc Rutherford. He then studied music
composition at California State University,
Long Beach before hitting the road for many
years as a working musician. He performed
on saxophone with jazz greats such as Jack
Sheldon, Arturo Sandoval, Louis Bellson, and
Cat Anderson–to name a few. Soon, however,
his performing career became secondary to
his burgeoning career as a composer and an
arranger.
And what an arranger! His musical
arrangements illustrate the contemporary
big band sound and have been performed
at virtually every major jazz festival in
the world including the Playboy Jazz
Festival, the Montreaux Jazz Festival and
the Berkeley Jazz Festival. As a member of
the faculty at Golden West College, he was
commissioned to write the finale for the
International Association of Jazz Educator’s
annual convention in New Orleans. The piece
was written and performed by jazz legends
such as Branford Marsalis, John Faddis, Clark
Terry, and Randy Brecker.