A 31-year veteran of the United States Navy, retired Master Chief Musician Jerry Ascione is a 1975 graduate of Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music. Majoring in French horn, he studied with Lois Hopkins and William Slocum. Beginning his naval career in 1977, he was the assistant principal French horn with the U.S. Naval Academy Band. In 1980, he auditioned for the U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C., and was selected as pianist with the Navy’s premier jazz ensemble, the Commodores. Chosen as leader of the Commodores in 1989, he performed with and wrote arrangements for jazz greats such as Milt Hinton, Snooky Young, Marvin Stamm, Eddie Daniels, Grover Washington Jr. and many others. In later years, as composer/arranger for the Navy Concert Band, his works were performed at the former Mid-West Band and Orchestra Convention, Virginia Music Educators Convention, American Bandmasters Association, Texas Bandmasters Association and Navy Band National Tours. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by the U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Army Field Band and U.S. Navy Band in Washington, D.C.
Retiring from the Navy in 2008, Ascione became pianist, chief composer and arranger for the New England Wind Symphony and Capital Jazz Orchestra in Concord, N.H., and composer/arranger with the W.D. Packard Concert Band in Warren, Ohio. Additionally, he was artist-in-residence at the Conservatorio de Tatui in Tatui, Brazil and Dana School of Music, Youngstown State University. He was an adjudicator for jazz festivals in Maryland, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia, California, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.
For legendary jazz trumpeter Marvin Stamm, Ascione’s music has been performed by universities and symphonies across the United States, Italy, Germany, Norway, Russia and Greece. Most recently, his arrangement of “Malaguena, Extreme and Variations” was performed at the Mountbatten Festival of Music by the Musicians of HM Royal Marines at Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
Ascione teaches applied composition at the AACC. As a member of the AACC piano faculty, he has performed with the Faculty Jazz Quintet and composed for the AACC Symphony Orchestra.
Ascione and his wife, Gail, also a retired Master Chief Musician, reside in Arnold.
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