Tom Dempsey

Having earned an undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in 1991, Tom Dempsey later finished graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in 1996. A mainstream jazz guitarist and composer who remains active as a music educator, he blends earlier influences from Wes Montgomery and Grant Green with more recent ones from John Abercrombie and John Scofield. Professional work has placed him alongside Kenny Barron, Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff, and Dave Brubeck while he has also led his own ensembles and handled session duties for both television and radio.

Dempsey serves on the faculty of the State University of New York at New Paltz and oversees the yearly Jazz Summit presented by the National Guitar Workshop. Alfred Music issued his book Classic Jazz Styles for Guitar, and his first album, Blues in the Slope, appeared in 1998. Another recording is scheduled for release in spring 2001.