Tom Lawton has been a mainstay on the Philadelphia jazz scene since 1974, and is noted for his work in both mainstream jazz idioms and avant-garde settings. Classically trained, he converted to jazz after hearing John Coltrane on the radio, and began years of study with Gerald Price, Bernard Peiffer, and Al Stauffer. Tom is also a composer and has received grants from The Network for New Music, The Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, The American Composers Forum, The Painted Bride, The Philadelphia Jazz Project, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art. Currently, Tom teaches in the jazz departments of Temple University and University of the Arts.