Tim Froncek

Tim Froncek has been rightfully called one of the busiest drummers in West Michigan. Teacher, performer, director, lecturer, and judge are all roles that he plays in the world of jazz. He serves both as drummer and Musical Director for the Truth in Jazz Orchestra.

A highly respected performer, Tim was voted 2004’s “Jazz Musician of the Year” by the West Michigan Jazz Society. He can be seen performing on drumset, directing big bands, giving clinics and lectures on jazz, and judging at many of the jazz festivals throughout the Midwest.

He has performed with such jazz greats as Woody Herman and The Thundering Herd, Bobby Shew, Bill Watrous, Randy Brecker, Phil Woods, Rufus Reid, Jon Faddis, Hal Galper, Clark Terry, John Patitucci, Bill Mays, John Clayton, Marcus Printup, Terry Gibbs, Wess Warmdaddy Anderson, David Fat Head Newman, Wycliffe Gordon, Brother Jack McDuff, Pearl Bailey, and Joe Williams – just to name a few.

An energetic performer loved by audiences, Tim is well known in the Midwest. But he also tours internationally with the Western Jazz Quartet, performing throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He is the Musical Director for Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra as well as TIJO, both of which are considered to be premier big bands in western Michigan.

As a teacher, Tim directs the jazz program at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He is a sought after affiliate professor at Grand Valley State University, teaches on the jazz studies faculty at Western Michigan University and is the director of the jazz band at Muskegon Community College.

“I have always been interested in jazz music,” Tim says, “because of the beat, the groove. That’s what drew me to drums.” In comparing the performance of classical music to jazz, he comments that he enjoys the spontaneity of jazz performance. “In jazz,” he says, “you are trying to recreate the written music, but also create something new at the same time.”