Composer and trombonist JC Sanford completed his D.M.A. in Jazz Studies at New England Conservatory in 2001. At NEC, he studied with Bob Brookmeyer and conducted the NEC Little Big Band. A 1994 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, JC spent one year at Eastern Illinois University studying with legendary New Orleans jazz pianist Henry Butler before heading off to Boston to complete his master's degree at NEC. Other teachers at NEC included Danilo Pérez, George Russell, John McNeil , and John Mosca. He is currently Director of Jazz Studies at Le Moyne College.

JC leads the improvisational trio Triocracy with Andy Laster and Chris Bacas. He has also performed with Danilo Pérez, Matt Wilson, Allan Chase, Chico & Arturo O’Farrill, the Andrew Rathbun Big Band, and the Mili Bermejo/George Schuller Octet. He is a member of his own group Triocracy with Andy Laster and Chris Bacas, John McNeil's Insomnia, Andrew Green's Narrow Margin, and My Band Foot Foot which explores the music of The Shaggs. JC also recorded with the Danilo Pérez Trio on the soundtrack to the movie “Hugo Pool” directed by Robert Downey.

As a composer/arranger/bandleader, JC co-leads the jazz orchestra Sound Assembly with fellow Brookmeyer disciple, David Schumacher. In addition to his conducting duties with the Sound Assembly, he is the conductor of the Grammy nominated John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble, the Chris Jentsch Group Large, and the Alice Coltrane Orchestra featuring Ravi Coltrane, Jack DeJohnette, and Reggie Workman. He has guest conducted the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, the Diane Moser Composers' Big Band, the Luther College Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Band, and the University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band I.

He is a founding member of the composers' federation Pulse and was a member of the BMI Jazz Composers’ Workshop led by Jim McNeely and Mike Abene for 5 years. JC has been commissioned by the University of Northern Iowa, NEC Jordan Winds, the Air Force Reserve Band of Georgia, The Skyline Brass Quintet (including a week long residency), Linn-Mar High School (Iowa), Fort Collins High School (Colorado), Kenosha Junior High School (Wisconsin), and Henry Butler. He has written charts for the Dave Liebman Big Band and the Danilo Pérez Big Band and has also had his music performed by such artists as John Abercrombie, Dominique Eade, Howard Johnson, Mark Feldman, and pianist Andrew Russo. He will premiere is commissioned original film score to the 1925 silent film Ben-Hur in April at the Syracuse Film Festival and the Williamstown Jazz Festival.