Birmingham musician Eric Essix has joined the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Music.
Essix will be an instructor of jazz studies and music technology. He will also play with the UAB Faculty Jazz Combo, led by Steve Roberts, D.M.A., director of UAB Music’s jazz program.
Essix is a graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Essix is set to release his 20th album, “Evolution,” which musically charts the spiritual growth and healing of Birmingham 50 years after the events that energized the Civil Rights Movement in 1963. His 2012 self-titled release has received critical acclaim and stayed on national jazz radio airplay charts for 23 consecutive weeks. His experience in music production makes him a perfect candidate, at just the right moment in the department’s growth, said University Professor Henry Panion III, Ph.D., who directs the music technology program with Scott Phillips, Ph.D.
“He is a great fit for us because of our newly enhanced recording studio with its top-of-the-line Avid Fusion 5 recording console,” Panion said. “With our new designation as an AVID Learning Partner and the newly redesigned studio, Eric is joining the department when the program is poised to see significant growth. UAB Music is the only AVID Learning Partner in the state and one of only a few in the Southeast. Eric brings a wealth of professional experience in the industry as both a musician and producer, and we are thrilled to have him join our very accomplished music faculty.”
Essix works as an artist coordinator at UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center (ASC), and he is also a teaching artist at ArtPlay, the ASC’s home for arts education. Essix will split his time between the center and the department while continuing his career as a performing and recording artist, as well as co-founder of the Preserve Jazz Festival.