Click “Play” below to listen to Ed’s music while you read his bio.
Above is “Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Phillip Sousa, arranged by and featuring Ed Hull on tuba and performed by the Blue Street Jazz Band. Ed always wanted to play the piccolo solo from Stars and Stripes on his tuba, and created this high energy arrangement to make it happen.
Ed started his musical career in Coalinga in 1966 when his elementary band teacher asked for a volunteer to play the tuba. Little did he know when he raised his hand that this would set his life’s course. Adding the bass trombone to his repertoire during high school, he was accepted into the U.S. Navy music program and attended the Armed Forces School of Music, where he added the electric bass to his abilities.
After the Navy, he earned a Music Education degree and teaching credential from Cal State Long Beach, then joined Fresno Unified School District in 1986 and began developing what would become a model music program at Manchester GATE Elementary School. In the process, he also created outstanding student youth bands that played at professional jazz festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada and assisted Ed in presenting educational workshops.
In 1996, he was named Professor of Tuba at CSU Fresno. Over the next 24 years he also taught music education courses and later directed a university band. In 2000, he was one of the founders of University High School on the Campus of Fresno State and started the jazz program there.
Ed has been a freelance performer in the Valley for over 40 years in both classical and jazz genres, including substitute work with The Fresno Philharmonic and 12 years as tubist and bassist with The Blue Street Jazz Band. He currently leads 3 bands of his own: The Polkateers, The Merrymakers and Happy Times Jazz. This last group includes adults Ed taught while they were students in elementary school bands.