About me

Thom Avella (they/them) is a saxophonist, composer-arranger and music educator based in the Capital Region of New York. With a life-long passion for the art of sound, and experience performing and writing in a wide variety of genres and contexts, Thom's work is the result of their unique path through the world of music. Thom has studied and played on "both sides" of the saxophone, and is equally comfortable in a jazz bar, on a concert hall stage, or in a rock club.

A native of Long Island, Thom has been based out of Upstate New York since 2023 and has become a fixture of the area’s jazz scene. They are the leader of “chordless” trio TA + 2 featuring bassist Jason Emmond and drummer Nick Anderson, as well as a co-leader of Avella-Ambrose & Associates, a quintet, with guitarist Wyatt Ambrose. Thom also performs regularly at public and private events with the Erin Harkes Band (aka HARK) and Silver Arrow Band, and they’ve made appearances with other local groups including the Big Soul Ensemble (dir. Keith Pray), Upstate Composers Orchestra (dir. Michael Kammers & Bobby Previte), New York-Vermont Wind Orchestra (dir. Josh Thompson), Tops of Trees, and the Trojan Horns Brass Band.

Thom has shared stages across the northeast with musicians including Ralph Lalama, Joel Frahm, Tarik Shah, Luke Franco, Jimmy Madison, Ian Macdonald and Malik McLaurine. Their work as a composer and arranger has received performances around the state of New York, in venues such as Dizzy's Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center), the Van Dyck Music Club (Schenectady), MoJo's Cafe & Gallery (Troy) and Jive Hive Live (Albany).

As a recording artist (both locally and remotely), Thom has made contributions to albums by artists including Patricia Taxxon, Betty Kean and Skye Hamilton-Carranza. Their interest in recording and production also led to the creation of their singer-songwriter alias Taylor Moniker, which has an EP on Bandcamp.

Prior to relocating to the Capital Region, Thom completed degrees at William Paterson University and the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Their mentors include Cecil Bridgewater, Ed Neumeister, Bret Zvacek, Casey Grev, Robert Young, Gregory Wanamaker, Tim Sullivan, Jerod Sommerfeldt and Phil Salathé. Thom was a fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute's Program for Jazz in 2022 (led by luminaries Rufus Reid, Billy Childs and Steve Wilson), which culminated in the premiere of their composition "Triumvirate" for jazz quintet.

About this site

This is a hub for showcasing my music and writings on music, the latter of which were previously published on a Substack blog called Food of Love. (They're also produced in video essay form on YouTube, as time allows.) For anyone in Upstate NY or western New England, you'll also be able to see my upcoming performance dates. The links in the header are self-explanatory. Thanks for reading!