As the semester progresses, Swarthmore will soon greet the esteemed Aubrey Logan, one of this year’s featured artists, in performance and in a masterclass for jazz musicians and vocalists at the College.

Logan is a trombone-playing singer-songwriter hailing from the Seattle area who attributes her love of music to the influence of her parents and the music of Billy Joel, Carole King, and others she heard often in her childhood. Her passion for jazz started at age 12 when she began playing trombone and has evolved into a successful career as a decorated performer and songwriter. Logan has been met with global acclaim on stages across Europe and the US while touring with renowned musicians like Dave Koz and Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Logan also attained the #1 Billboard spot in contemporary jazz with Dave Koz & the Summer Horns’ album, “From A to Z” while also being recognized for her own album “Where the Sunshine is Expensive.” Logan has even collaborated with respected orchestras including the Seattle Symphony, Boston Pops, and Cincinnati Symphony to bring her original compositions and covers to life.

“[Logan] is a force of nature in a lot of respects,” says Swarthmore’s own Andrew Neu, director of the College Jazz Ensemble. “She’s really a well-defined artist … [her] choice of repertoire is very unique to her and she’s taking both familiar pieces of music, whether they’re jazz standards or pop standards, she’s reinventing them for herself.” 

Neu has worked extensively with Logan in the past and has been consistently impressed by her professionalism and stage presence, noting how quickly she is able to turn from directing other musicians on stage to “being funny and charming and graceful and a little silly” for the audience. Neu is excited for audiences to hear Logan’s distinctive style and emphasizes that her performances uplift others: “When we perform and create music … it shouldn’t be about the person who’s doing it, it’s about the music cosmically.”

Logan will be offering three events for the Swarthmore community beginning with an ‘Evening with Aubrey Logan’ on Sunday, October 27 at 7:30 PM in the Lang Concert Hall. This will be a performance featuring Logan, Neu, and several other musicians from the Philadelphia area. Logan will also be offering a masterclass for jazz musicians and singers at the college on Monday, October 28 at 1 PM in the Lang Concert Hall.  She will finish her stint here by performing in the Swarthmore College Jazz Ensemble Concert on Sunday, November 17 at 7:30 PM in the Lang Concert Hall. We hope you won’t miss any of these exciting events!