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Ed Neiderhiser
Ed was raised in Erie PA. He has been playing trumpet for more than 50 years. At age 5 he attended a high school band concert that featured a trumpet soloist. This event stuck with him and he started playing trumpet in 7th grade. He was involved with concert and marching band at McDowell High School in Erie and also in the Erie Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. “I was introduced to jazz by my music teacher who played Maynard Ferguson records for me. I quickly found my way to Miles, Duke, Monk, and Trane and was hooked for life.”
Ed attended Thiel College in Western PA graduating in 1969, with a major in history and minor in Greek. During his stay he played in the college wind ensemble and also formed the “Ed Neiderhiser Quartet” “I was self-taught on piano; chord symbols and lots of fake. We actually got paid a few times but it was hardly a monument in jazz history.”
Ed graduated from Seminary in Gettysburg in 1973and moved to Philadelphia for graduate school. In 1978 he achieved a Ph.D. in Hebrew Scriptures and cognate languages at Dropsie University.
He was ordained to Lutheran ministry in 1977 and served congregations in Havertown, North Philadelphia, and North Wales. He has been director of Chaplaincy and all religious programing at Graterford State Prison since 1989. Ed had several articles published in professional journals and a short story published in British Jazz Anthology.
Ed formed a jazz sextet called the Trinity Jazz Ensemble which was active from 1975-1985. The ensemble performed in Philadelphia jazz clubs, on WRTI radio, and on TV. He has performed in several jazz combos and brass groups over the years. He has been privileged to make music with Khan Jamal, Odean Pope, Tony Williams, Fr. John D’Amico, Eddie Green and other Philly luminaries and sat in a few times with Shirley Scott, Trudy Pitts, Joey De Francesco, Turrell Stafford, et. al. Ed has performed with several ensembles over the years including concert bands, big band, blues and rock bands as well as numerous jazz venues.
Experienced on trumpet, flugelhorn and piccolo trumpet, Ed is at home in classical, liturgical, blues, rock, and, of course, jazz He also composes and arranges in each of them.
Ed has two original jazz CD's with his trio "Jazplash", has recorded with Standard Times Jazz Sextet and appears of the CD of percussionist Omar Hill “Tribes of the Future”. Jazplash has also performed live on WRTI.
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