Dan Aldag has taught at Cal Poly Humboldt since 1994. He leads the Jazz Orchestra and the Jazz Combos and teaches trombone and courses in jazz and popular music. In 2013, he received the university’s Excellence In Teaching Award. 

He regularly performs on trombone with the North Coast Brass Ensemble and has written a number of arrangements for the group. He has played behind Dizzy Gillespie, Louie Bellson, Joe Williams, Bob Hope, the Temptations, Diane Schuur, Bobby Caldwell, and the Manhattan Transfer.

Dan’s compositions and arrangements for jazz band, brass quintet, and trombone have been published by Ensemble Publications and Really Good Music, performed throughout the United States and Europe, and recorded on the Seabreeze Vista label. 

A strong advocate for jazz education, he frequently works with middle school and high school jazz bands. With drummer Matt Wilson, he co-presented a clinic at the 2019 Jazz Educators Network national conference in Reno, Nevada.

A founding board member of the Redwood Jazz Alliance, Dan has helped bring more than 75 renowned jazz artists to Humboldt County to perform and to present workshops for students and members of the community.