by Linda SeidaRob Parton is a staple on the Chicago jazz scene. Since 1994, he has headed the jazz department of Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. Parton and students of his program put together a pair of CDs, and he also has recorded with his own Jazztech Big Band. Among the ensemble's releases are The Count Is In and Rob Parton's Jazztech Big Band With Conte Candoli. The big band has appeared at a number of festivals, including the Elkhart Jazz Festival and Switzerland's Montreux Jazz Festival. As a trumpeter, Parton has recorded or performed with the Milwaukee Symphony and the Chicago Symphony. He also has backed such artists as Joe Williams, with whom he played a European tour, as well as Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, Doc Severinsen, Mel Torme, Maynard Ferguson, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra Jr., and Maureen McGovern. His trumpet can also be heard in commercial advertisements for McDonald's and Ameritech.