Anthony Stanco always wanted to do what his teachers were doing. So he practiced. He performed. And he listened, intent on building a life as a jazz trumpeter, composer, and band leader in Southeast Michigan and beyond.

Stanco succeeded. Now he’s poised to expand his career by becoming like the teachers and mentors who inspired him in secondary schools and college. In Fall 2021, Stanco became the newest member of the jazz faculty in the Jazz Studies Area at the Michigan State University College of Music. 

It’s a dream come true, said the assistant professor of jazz trumpet, especially since he’s working alongside a former mentor and teacher: University Distinguished Professor of Jazz Bass Rodney Whitaker, the director of MSU Jazz Studies. Even more, he’s returning to his alma mater, having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Jazz Studies in 2012 and 2013.

“It’s truly something special, almost poetic,” said Stanco. “I feel a debt to my teachers and to the music. There’s a long history of musicians passing music down to the next generation. It’s an honor to be part of this incredible program, and to be in a position to pass along jazz knowledge to my students as well.”
 

The deciding factor

Stanco grew up Fraser, Michigan—a small city north of Detroit. His Italian family made their living in the produce industry, with several generations working at Detroit’s Eastern Market. Family members, too, were drawn to music. His great grandmother had played piano and composed, and had left several original compositions and boxes of music to him.

When it came time to select an instrument in elementary school, Stanco chose trumpet. His dad wanted him to pick up the brass instrument, inspired by the old war movies he watched on television.

“My dad wanted me to learn revelry and taps,” Stanco muses. “So that was a good enough reason for me.”

Stanco took naturally to the instrument and was encouraged by his teachers. Several pushed him to become a musician, and to tap the wealth of programs, resources, and artists in Detroit. He played in youth ensembles and did a summer camp through the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. To his surprise, the camp included a jazz portion. 

He attended a concert of an 18-piece jazz orchestra that was among the Civic Youth Ensembles the DSO offered. While he was seated in a small auditorium, a baby began crying during a number. The parents stood up and started to leave, but the director stopped, turned, and told them not to worry and to stay put. That director was Marcus Belgrave, the legendary jazz trumpet player.

“Marcus told them not to go, that music was for everyone,” Stanco recalls. “That was it. I knew then that, wow, this is where I need to be—playing music for the people that was so inclusive.”

Stanco joined the DSO Civic Jazz Orchestra when he was 13. Belgrave directed it initially, then Whitaker. Both became his mentors. Being Italian, Stanco said, opened the door for his mother to cook large meals and invite his teachers to the house, furthering his immersion in jazz.

“It wasn’t so much what they taught me as it was about being around musicians who seemed larger than life, who exuded the Detroit community and music,” he said. “I learned how to act and walk and talk like a jazz musician. I was always working to emulate their style.”

Devoted to tradition

Stanco played with the Civic Jazz Orchestra through middle and high school, then enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. Although the program was fabulous, he was homesick and missed the mentorship and support of the Detroit community. He contacted Whitaker and transferred to MSU.

After receiving his master’s, Stanco aspired to teach. He was a guest artist at several Midwest colleges and high schools, and adjudicated multiple jazz festivals. In 2015, he joined the faculty at The Ohio State University, and became the director of Jazz Studies at Broward College in 2019. Simultaneously, he toured with The Crucial Elements, a five-piece ensemble with national acclaim, as well as recorded, composed, and arranged. 

“Since graduating from the MSU College of Music Jazz Studies Program, Anthony has done a fine job of building his career with numerous state department tours, several appointments to major universities, and has always employed and empowered a diverse group of musicians as a part of his professional ensembles,” said Whitaker. “He grew up steeped in the Detroit jazz tradition's motto of ‘Each One, Teach One,’ mentorship in action. We are proud to welcome him to the Michigan State University College of Music Jazz Studies faculty.” 

Stanco echoes his mentor, now colleague. He looks ahead to his days in MSU classrooms and performance halls, and to directing and touring with Jazz Orchestra II. He’s inspired, too, by the idea of working with and learning from the slate of jazz masters hosted annually through the annual MSU Federal Credit Union Jazz Artist in Residence program.

“Rodney has done such an amazing job of creating an inclusive community,” Stanco said. “It’s incredible to be part of it and to lend my expertise to help him see his vision. I’m all about that, and I am excited to be taking up the torch and helping to move it forward.”