Episode 20: Whit Sidener
Featuring legendary jazz educator and multi-woodwind artist Whit Sidener, this episode highlights a remarkable career that bridges elite performance and transformative education. A seasoned saxophonist and woodwind specialist, Sidener has performed and recorded with iconic artists including Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and the Bee Gees, bringing a deep well of real-world artistry into his teaching.
As a longtime professor and former Chair of Studio Music and Jazz at the Frost School of Music, Sidener played a pivotal role in shaping one of the nation’s leading jazz programs. Across decades of leadership, mentorship, and vision, he has guided generations of musicians—many of whom have gone on to define the modern jazz landscape.
Sidener’s legacy is not only measured by his own accomplishments, but by the lasting impact of his students, his commitment to artistic excellence, and his belief in music as a lifelong pursuit of growth, discipline, and human connection.
►Learn more about Whit Sidener:
RS Berkeley Bio: https://www.rsberkeley.com/whit-sidener
Frost School Feature: https://news.miami.edu/frost/stories/2024/11/program-leader-honored.html
►Key Moments:
0:00 - Introductions
1:31: Whit’s biography
6:21: Early musical experiences and influences
12:47: Joining the Tommy Dorsey Band, (around 1962)
17:12: Mingling with the Duke Orchestra Orchestra
18:00: Gigging with the circus, Holiday On Ice, playing to track, and the union in Florida
22:53: Leaving Tommy Dorsey, “Moneyball”, and going back to college.
27:40: Meeting Jerry Coker, Jamey Aebersold, Gary Campbell, Randy Brecker, in Indiana.
28:52: U.S. State Department Tour to the middle east for 5 months (1965).
29:40: Miami invitation
33:30: University of Miami in the mid-1960’s
37:37: Gigging in Miami in the mid to late 60’s
39:36: Playing with Frank Sinatra
40:20: Louis Armstrong story
43:25: joining University of Miami’s faculty
46:39: Gerry Mulligan joins the UM faculty for a year.
48:25: Impact on Jazz Education, teaching excellence
53:06: Why is this important?
55:50: Evolution of higher education since 1972
58:00: Acceptance of electric guitar as principle instruments at UM, Pat Metheny and many more…
1:01:19: Building a financial future for younger students
1:04:42: Taking care of health
1:09:53: What’s happening now? What do you listen to?
1:12:00: “Thanks for putting up with me”
1:13:40: UM legacy, the Foster Building, and Thank You’s
►Follow John Daversa Online:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johndaversa/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDaversaMusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/johndaversamusic
Website: http://www.johndaversa.com
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video Capture: Yang Yang
Audio Capture: Yang Yang
Video and Audio Editing: Izzi Guzman
Graphic Design: Izzi Guzman
Recorded in Coral Gables, FL, January 31, 2025
►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"
All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP),
#whitsidener #universityofmiami #UM #frostschoolofmusic #frostmsj #msj #tommydorsey #holidayonice #trumpet #johndaversa #johndavers
Support the show
►Credits
Host and Producer: John Daversa
Video: Max Nierlich
Audio: Dudley Merriam
Additional Audio: Jake Sonderman
Video and Audio Editing: Yang Yang
Izzi Guzman: Graphic Design
Recorded in Miami, FL
►Music
"The John Daversa Podcast"
"Moonlight Muse"
"Junk Wagon"
All compositions composed and arranged by John Daversa
Daversafications Publications (ASCAP)
France