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In June 2024, Dr. Kevin Bryson was sitting in the Miami International Airport, applying to academic teaching positions on his laptop. Having just earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in jazz instrumental performance from the University of Miami in May, he was awaiting a flight to London, England, where he had been invited to play bass trombone on a jazz album to be recorded in the historic Abbey Road Studios.

“We recorded in the same room where the Beatles recorded,” Dr. Bryson explains. “There is so much history there. Pink Floyd. So many others. Just look it up. So much iconic music.” Radiohead. Adele. Oasis. Amy Winehouse. U2. Lady Gaga.

The project was based on the music of jazz musician Kenny Wheeler. Dr. Nick Smart, head of Jazz Programmes at the Royal Academy of Music, in London, had been a personal friend of Wheeler’s and spearheaded the effort, which focused on recording experimental, unpublished music the jazz legend had written early in his career. Dr. Smart brought his friend, Dr. John Daversa, chair of studio music and jazz at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, into the project, which led to Dr. Bryson’s involvement.

In the final year of his doctoral studies, Dr. Bryson was working as a graduate assistant in the Frost School of Music’s library. In that role, he was tasked with working through the original scores for the trombone parts of the Kenny Wheeler project, determining how they needed to be appointed to the players in the ensemble. His work served as the early organization during the planning stages for the record. For his contribution, he was invited to play the bass trombone on the project.

After a week in London, recording in the historic studio, he returned to Miami. Upon landing, he had an email offering an interview for a teaching position at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM), making it one of the most memorable weeks of his life.

Dr. Bryson joined the faculty at UAM in August 2024, where he currently serves as assistant professor of low brass and jazz and director of jazz studies.

The album, “Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores,” by the Kenny Wheeler Legacy featuring The Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra and Frost Jazz Orchestra, was published by Greenleaf Music in January 2025.

On November 7, 2025, Dr. Bryson found out from a colleague’s social media post that the 11-track album featuring 22 musicians had been nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for the 2026 Grammys.

He is humble about the nomination, quick to state, “I feel less as though I have been personally nominated. This album we created is the nominee. I feel very proud to have contributed to a project that is basically dedicated to a period of a musician’s life that was formerly unknown. I think this is a really proud moment for Kenny Wheeler’s legacy as an artist. He was a master musician, composer and arranger, so I am glad he is receiving this kind of recognition, posthumously.”

While the Grammy nomination stands as a crowning achievement for the jazz musician and music educator, it is not Dr. Bryson’s first connection to the industry’s most prestigious award show. In 2020, he was one of the musicians who recorded the accompanying music for Cyndi Lauper’s performance at the Grammys.

It is one of many notable moments in his career thus far. After graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston with a Bachelor of Music degree in music synthesis and jazz performance in May 2008, he set out as a full-time freelance professional, performing alongside artists like Patti Austin, Jennifer Hudson, Chucho Valdez and Arturo Sandoval. In addition to performing, Dr. Bryson worked as a music technologist in sound design and product development for Receptor and Muse Box, which have been used worldwide by prominent touring artists such as The Muse, Paul McCartney, Coldplay and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Also interested in the academic and research sides of the music world, the California native graduated in May 2021 with a Master of Music degree in jazz studies from the University of Southern California, before pursuing a D.M.A. at the University of Miami.

While his resume features a broad mix of performance, technology, research and teaching work in the music field, he says it is all driven by the same pursuit. “I would say that the throughline for all of it is that I love what music is able to communicate to people. Ultimately, I see music as a mode of communication between groups of people. Performers are communicating with each other, but we are also hopefully communicating something to the audience. I constantly try to teach my students to do that, communicate with each other and communicate something to the audience. Perform!”

Dr. Bryson has already made significant contributions to the UAM Division of Music during the year and a half that he has served as director of jazz studies and director of UAM’s jazz bands.

“I feel so lucky to get to take the reins at this storied institution here in Arkansas. UAM Jazz One and our master's degree program are the two reasons people think of UAM as a great place to study jazz. For me, it has been a lot of fun to think about where the UAM Jazz One ensemble needs to evolve next. One of the things I really try to do to distinguish the ensemble from others in the state is that I try to write a lot of music for the ensemble, partially because I think it makes the sound of UAM Jazz One unique right now and partially because it means I can tailor things to the strengths of the players each semester.”

He is even getting the students involved in writing music. “I had a student write a chart for our concert last fall. Students should be writing. There is no overstating the challenge of writing a piece of music for an ensemble of that size. It is not easy.”

He hopes that pushing students to write will help them stand out in their music careers. “There is no shortage of really talented players or talented ensembles. People are just really good at learning how to perform well. You have to be looking for the unique things you can bring to an endeavor. Writing and arranging original music? That is a unique thing we can bring.”

Dr. Bryson has also brought another impactful form of mentoring to UAM, creating a meditation group for students. “I started guided meditation at UAM to teach students about being present and communicative with the people around you, your fellow musicians and the audience. One of the things that keeps us from being present with each other is being too involved with the nonsense in our own minds. The idea is to give students a place and ways to practice creating some distance. The more they are anxious or worried about their ability to perform at a concert, the less present they will be. If I can give them a chance to practice creating distance from anxiousness, then, hopefully, it is easier for them to step into being present with each other and with the audience.”

His ultimate goal as a music educator? “I want them to come at this pursuit of music and performance from a joyful place.”

As for his Grammy nomination, he is not sure many of his students know, as he has approached this recognition modestly. “I guess they are about to find out,” he says with a little chuckle.

The Grammy-nominated album, “Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores,” is available on Greenleaf Music’s website and can be heard on Greenleaf Music’s YouTube channel.

The 2026 Grammy Award winners will be announced on Sunday, February 1.