Jason Swagler
Office: Dunham Hall Rm 2132
(618) 650‑2355
jswagle@siue.edu
Jason Swagler serves as an associate professor and Director of Jazz Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he has been on faculty since 2000.
As a saxophonist, Swagler maintains an active career recording and performing under his own name and as a sideman. He has shared the stage with notable artists including Joey DeFrancesco, Byron Stripling, Michael McDonald, Marilyn Maye, Cyrus Chestnut, Regina Carter, John Clayton, and Gregory Hutchinson, among others. He currently plays lead alto in both the Dave Weckl Big Band and The Jazz St. Louis Big Band directed by Victor Goines. Swagler is also an active arranger, with his work featured in the 2021 PBS Christmas special 'A New Holiday,' which included performances by Wynton Marsalis, BeBe Winans, and David Sanborn. Vocalist Denise Thimes commissioned him to arrange 'I Love Everything About You' for her performances with The Count Basie Orchestra in 2025.
Throughout his teaching career, Swagler has guided numerous talented students, including one who was selected as the only American finalist in The World Saxophone Competition in London that year. His expertise has been sought in unique situations, including being contacted to provide a saxophone lesson to Heather Mills McCartney, wife of former Beatle Paul McCartney.
For 13 years, Swagler directed the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars, the flagship ensemble of Jazz St. Louis' educational outreach program. Under his leadership, the All-Stars collaborated with acclaimed artists including Stefon Harris, Greg Osby, Sean Jones, Antonio Hart, Tia Fuller, and Terrell Stafford. They performed before concerts featuring legends such as Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ahmad Jamal, and Wynton Marsalis. Former All-Stars members have gone on to perform professionally with the Terrence Blanchard E-Collective, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Terrell Stafford.
