“Waking Dream” builds on Randy Napoleon’s MSU Jazz guitar foundation

Randy Napoleon invited four of his students, all graduates of MSU Jazz Studies, to form an ensemble with him and record his latest album, Waking Dream: The Music of Gregg Hill and Randy Napoleon. (Cover painting by Fay Kleinman; cover concept by Lynne Brown; cover design and layout by John Bishop)

Jazz guitarist Randy Napoleon’s latest release, Waking Dream: The Music of Gregg Hill and Randy Napoleon (OA2 Records), is more than an album—it’s a testament to mentorship, collaboration, and the vibrant jazz community cultivated at MSU.

The recording features five guitarists, Napoleon and four alumni who studied with him in the MSU Jazz Studies program. The ensemble includes Jocelyn Gould, Ben Turner, Luke Sittard, and Chris Minami—each bringing their own voice to a unified sound.

“This is a highly ensemble-focused record, so I wanted people that would allow all of us to breathe as one,” said Napoleon. “My challenge on this record was narrowing down the four students I would invite to record, but I knew that the five of us could really blend our sounds in a way that would sound organic and unified.”

Napoleon, a Michigan State University associate professor of jazz guitar and associate director of Jazz Studies, assembled the group including a solid rhythm section and more guests to record in November 2024. The group performed the music featured on the album on a brief tour before recording in the studio, a move that helped solidify their chemistry. For Napoleon, the project was deeply personal—not only musically, but pedagogically.

Waking Dream is Randy Napoleon’s fourth album to feature music by composer Gregg Hill. Napoleon describes Hill as writing “quirky, fun, and thought-provoking” melodies. (Photo by Lynne Brown)

“I think that it’s authentic to represent what you’re actually doing day to day,” he said. “There’s immense value in recording with ‘all-stars’ because sometimes playing with iconic musicians lifts you up to a new level. There’s also great value in working with the people that you know deeply, and the musicians I spend the most time playing with are my guitar students.”

Napoleon said he is delighted with how the ensemble in the studio brought the right blend of musicality, creativity, humility, and community to the project. Each of the featured alumni, he pointed out, are building successful careers in the jazz world.”

Jocelyn Gould is already a big international star and a sensation in the guitar world, having won the 2021 Juno Award for Jazz Album of the Year – Solo for her first recording as a bandleader,” Napoleon said. “Ben Turner recently joined the Navy Commodores, which is a very plum gig and highly competitive, probably the top military jazz band. He’s also on the scene playing in New York and DC and just has an incredibly brilliant musical mind. Luke Sittard and Chris Minami both moved to New York this summer, and I’ve not worked with more talented or dedicated players than the two of them. They’re going to make huge splashes.”

The album also continues Napoleon’s fruitful collaboration with composer Gregg Hill, whose compositions have appeared on three of Napoleon’s previous releases. Hill’s presence is felt throughout Waking Dream, both musically and personally.

“Gregg is an amazing collaborator because he always gives you something very interesting to work with,” Napoleon said. “His melodies are quirky, fun, and thought-provoking, but he’s also the least controlling person in the studio. He gives you such a long leash to go wherever you want musically.”

Musicians involved in the Waking Dream recording sessions described them as a creative and enjoyable. As guitarist and MSU alum Ben Turner put it, “Everyone involved had a real sense of love and respect for one another.” (Photo by Lynne Brown, taken at Troubadour Recording Studios, Lansing, Michigan)

The recording features a rich lineup of musicians beyond the guitarists. University Distinguished Professor of Jazz Bass and Director of MSU Jazz Studies Rodney Whitaker, pianist Rick Roe, and drummer Quincy Davis form the core rhythm section. Guest appearances include Walter Blanding on tenor saxophone, Michael Dease on trombone, Anthony Stanco on trumpet, Lynne Brown on guiro, and two rising stars: bassist Langston Kitchen and drummer Michael J. Reed. The album released in June 2025.

Napoleon describes Kitchen as “a special bassist” who just completed his sophomore year in Jazz Studies at MSU and plays many of Napoleon’s gigs locally. Reed, an MSU graduate, appears with Kitchen on two tracks and, according to Napoleon, “hit it out of the park.”

“One of the things I try to model for students is the connection between creativity and continuity of the lineage,” Napoleon said. “If I’m doing it correctly, I’m creating future collaborators. I tell all my students, not just the guitarists, that I’m putting in a lot of extra energy into them because I really want to help develop the kinds of musicians and people that I like to play with.”

Turner has proven to be exactly that for Napoleon, a capable professional and collaborator. He reflected on the experience with deep appreciation.

“It’s rare to feel such support and community in the studio. Being a part of this project meant so much to me,” Turner said. “Professor Napoleon is one of the most important mentors I’ve had in my life, in addition to being a colleague, friend, and an inspiration both musically and personally. My experience working with that group of guitarists in the studio was a pleasure. Everyone involved had a real sense of love and respect for one another. It shows that the MSU jazz community is extremely powerful and important in this music.”