About George

George Stone has had a true love and appreciation of jazz music since the age of 5 when he first heard Maynard Ferguson’s record called Newport Suite. By first grade he listened daily to recordings of groups such as the Four Freshmen, The Hi-Lo’s, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Bud Shank, Frank Rosolino, Howard Roberts, the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, the Candoli brothers, Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond. He memorized the layers of each tune, from the melody to the bass line to the accompaniment parts and horn parts. But a particular record called Mavis Meets Shorty created commotion in his first grade classroom. “My teacher asked us to tell what our favorite song was and to sing it. At my turn I said, ‘I Remember You’ to which every student looked confused. I validated their fears and those of the teacher by singing not only the lyrics but all the band parts as well. Gratifyingly, I later came to know and work with the son of Mavis Rivers, the legendary Matt Catingub, with whom I shared many warm recollections of that recording.”

George attended the excellent music program directed by Larry Thornton at Hart High School in Newhall, CA and was also concurrently enrolled at College of the Canyons under the direction of Stewart "Dirk" Fischer, who later became his arranging mentor. Upon graduation he enrolled in the superb CSU Northridge music department where he thrived under teachers Roy Poper, Gary Pratt and Joel Leach. He composed and arranged extensively for the Northridge Jazz A Band. While still a student, he began his career working in Los Angeles as a studio musician, composer and orchestrator. Upon completion of his degree he began teaching at Hart High School. In 1996 he moved to the Central Coast of CA and has since enjoyed a rewarding career in music performance, composition and education for over 20 years. He currently directs the popular Audio Technology Program and teaches Music Theory and Composition at Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA.

Some artists and groups with whom he has been privileged to work include Maynard Ferguson, Clare Fischer, Dave Grusin, Tom Scott, the American Jazz Philharmonic (SJO) and the Tonight Show Orchestra with Doc Severinsen. He has composed for CBS, NBC, HBO, ABC and Disney. He is in demand as a recording engineer and producer for high schools, college groups and professional musicians nationally.

George performs regularly on trumpet and piano, with compositions and arrangements released through publishers worldwide. He resides in Cambria, CA, a small town on the beautiful Central Coast just north of San Luis Obispo.