First inspired by listening to his father’s Benny Goodman records, Tom started playing clarinet at age 9, studying for four years with renowned instructor and principal clarinetist of the Denver Symphony Orchestra, Richard Joiner.  Picking up alto and tenor saxophone at age 13, he played in marching band and jazz ensemble throughout high school.  While at Stanford, he studied privately with the veteran jazz saxophonist Hal Stein. 

Career highlights include touring the U.S. extensively as the baritone saxophonist for the New Morty Show (he also composed and arranged music for the band).  Tom has also performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, and the Hollywood Bowl with Brass Monkey Brass Band.  From 1999 to 2008, Tom was the baritone saxophonist with the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, which with he recorded three CD’s. 

Currently, Tom plays with several groups, in a variety of genres, among them the Scott Young/Tom Griesser Sextet (for which he writes music and lyrics), the Mood Swing Orchestra, Laurent Fourgo & His Ensemble, and Lou-Lou and the Gypsy Jivers, a group that fuses gypsy jazz and South African township jazz.  He has recorded on more than 25 albums.

For beginning students, Tom focuses on the fundamentals of good tone production and sight reading; for more advanced students, he helps them negotiate more challenging musical pieces and enhance their improvisation skills.  Ultimately, Tom wants his students to develop a diverse set of abilities, enabling them to play a wide variety of styles.