Dr. Brent Bristow is the Director of Bands and head of the Department of Music at Arkansas State University-Beebe, where he holds the rank of Professor. Dr. Bristow has been a performer, songwriter, producer, conductor and clinician for over two decades. He earned degrees in music education and performance from Arkansas State University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Saxophone Performance from the University of Memphis. His principal teachers include Ken Hatch, Dr. John Sampen, and Allen Rippe, and in 2008, he collaborated with legendary saxophonist Donald Sinta to write Sinta’s biography. As a songwriter and producer, Bristow has been mentored by Neal Morse (Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, The Neal Morse Band) and Casey McPherson (Flying Colors, Alpha Rev).
As a saxophonist, Dr. Bristow maintains an active performing schedule that includes both academic conferences and commercial music with performances in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington, DC, Chicago, Philadelphia and St. Andrews, Scotland, among others. He has been regularly featured as a guest artist, appearing with the Enterprise Blues Band, Star Trek Rat Pack and The Sons of Kirk, and he has performed side by side with numerous legendary Star Trek actors, including William Shatner and Sir Patrick Stewart.
Emerald City Council, a new progressive rock band currently signed to Melodic Revolution Records, features Bristow on saxophone, keyboards and vocals, and he serves as the primary songwriter and producer for the group. Their album, Motion Carries, has received numerous accolades throughout Europe and North America and has been called the #1 debut album of 2024 by multiple reviewers. Readers of U.K. Prog Magazine voted Emerald City Council the #9 Best New Band/Artist of 2024. As part of the band’s sound, Bristow plays the saxophone in a non-jazz context to demonstrate the versatility of the instrument and to blaze a new trail for its use in rock music. Regarding Motion Carries, Kevin Carmony of Prog Radio stated that “anyone who doesn’t think the sax is a prog instrument, this will change your mind.”
In addition to being a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician, Bristow is also a Rovner Ambassador.