RODNEY T. WHITAKER

University Distinguished Professor of Jazz Bass
College of Music

For Rodney T. Whitaker, a world-renowned jazz artist, educator, and scholar, mentorship is at the heart of his life’s work. “I had this vision about 20 years ago that I would raise 1,000 mentors in my lifetime,” he has said. “And from that 1,000 they would raise their 1,000 and so on. Through jazz [we] can change the world.” As an MSU faculty member for 29 years, Whitaker has brought that philosophy to MSU’s College of Music and beyond. His emphasis on innovation, collaboration, and mentorship has enabled graduates to sustain successful music careers while enriching the music community worldwide.  

A Mack Avenue recording artist from Detroit, Whitaker is one of the leading bass performers and teachers of the jazz double bass in the nation. He has toured the world, performing with symphony orchestras and artists such as Diana Krall; Crosby, Stills and Nash; and Dizzy Gillespie.

At MSU, Whitaker is director of jazz studies and a University Distinguished Professor of Jazz Bass. He has presented master classes, clinics, and workshops across Michigan, the United States, and Asia. He has served as a lead educator with Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Essentially Ellington program for high school jazz bands and music educators.

Whitaker has guided the MSU Community Music School-Detroit jazz education and its collaborations with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra youth ensembles and Detroit public schools. He has also served as artistic director of the East Lansing Summer Solstice Jazz Festival. His most recent distinction was being elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024.