Vocalist and pianist Tommy Boynton of the Four Freshmen continues his exploration of the jazz vocal tradition with local titans Stephanie Wieseler, Graydon Peterson, and Pete James Johnson.

Band Members:
Tommy Boynton - Vocals/Piano
Pete James Johnson - Drums
Graydon Peterson - Bass
Stephanie Wieseler - Saxophone

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Tommy Boynton is a jazz singer, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist residing in St. Paul, MN. He attended the School for Music Vocations at Southwestern Community College in Creston, IA, where he studied jazz voice, classical and jazz piano, composition, arranging, and studio engineering. This two-year program led him to complete his studies in Boston at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC), where he studied jazz voice with Dominique Eade, Ran Blake, and Fred Hersch.

Since graduating from NEC in 2012, Tommy has been an active collaborator in the Midwest music scene and an international touring musician with the Four Freshmen, Fred Hersch, the River Monks, Extravision, Field Division, his own project of original song cycles, and much more. When Tommy joined the Four Freshmen in 2015, he was only the fourth person to sing the lead melody part since the group’s inception in 1948. He was initially the bass player for the ensemble and has since switched to the second harmony part and guitar. With the Four Freshmen, Tommy has performed at some of the world’s premiere establishments, including the Cotton Club in Tokyo, the Blue Note in Beijing, the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, Live at Emmet’s Place, the Oslo Jazz Festival, and the Detroit Jazz Festival. He has collaborated with the Phat Band, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and the Tex Benecke Orchestra and has recorded with Emmet Cohen, Russell Hall, Kyle Poole, Butch Miles, Ken Peplowski, Katie Thiroux, and more.

As an artist and educator, Tommy is grateful for the paths that have allowed him to stay actively creative. He seeks to welcome all in experiencing and enjoying music free of judgment or shame.