All that jazz

A love for jazz, a passion for music and an excitement for radio has allowed Hugh Ross to be a successful host of his radio show, “The H-Factor.”

Ross, a senior majoring in business human resource management, said he enjoys being on UT’s radio station 88.3 WXUT and having the freedom to play what he wants, which features a variety of jazz from traditional to fusion.

As a non-traditional student, Ross said he was at first skeptical about spending time with younger students, but now thinks it is “fantastic.”

“Some students have looked up to me and admired me and some professors are doing the same thing,” Ross said. “I kind of feel really special coming back to my future alma mater and it’s fun.”

Ross said to be able to go back to school is a “dream come true” after dropping out of UT in the 70s.

“My dad requested just before he passed to go back to school and get your degree someday,” Ross said. “I couldn’t even pass Bancroft or Dorr without getting upset. I passed it and I had this feeling that I didn’t complete something and my dream is to get my degree.”

After being on the air for almost two years, Ross said he has a strong fan base that continues to grow. He said he receives 25 to 30 calls per show.

“It’s becoming an entity that’s bigger than me and that’s why I like to say I’m not the H-Factor, I’m Hugh,” Ross said.

Ross said he considers himself to be a private person, but his life has become public.

“I felt like a celebrity or something. People are calling me up and wanting to meet me,” Ross said. “It’s almost scary but it’s cool in a way. Is this my 15 minutes of fame? Maybe, but it’s growing.”

Cheryl Catlin, a close friend of Ross, said with his passion of jazz, he has come to love Saturdays and Sundays.

“He’s very humble, he is a kind of shy kind of guy and to his surprise genuinely, his audience is so nice and people call in and tell him how much they appreciate it,” Catlin said.

Ross said as his show continues to grow, his interest is to appeal to a younger audience.

“I think my crowd demographic is 30 and up and I’m interested in UT students to see if maybe they could study to my music. You can dance to jazz, you can sleep to jazz, there’s no one type of music as far as I’m concerned,” Ross said.

Ross said one of his goals is to also get to a diverse group of listeners.

“Jazz doesn’t have a particular color and it’s not boring as people think,” he said. “There are rumors that jazz is kind of boring and puts you to sleep. If you listen to my show for half an hour, I guarantee it won’t put you to sleep.”

Ross said current music like the alternative genre does not appeal to older generations and he wants to introduce jazz to younger audiences who may not like jazz.

“One day when you get older, will you still listen to hip-hop? Will you still listen to alternative? Or can you listen to something that’s timeless?” Ross said. “Jazz to me, is timeless.”

With words of encouragement and support from his friends and family, Ross isn’t afraid to dream big. After he graduates his goal is to start his own business.

“I hope to be an entrepreneur and start my own radio station,” Ross said. “I want to create…a career and not a job.”

Catlin said Ross’s love of jazz and music has allowed him to pursue his dream.

“He’s found a niche that he really likes and his goal is to try to make something out of it,” Catlin said. “It’s fun to see somebody find something that they are really good at.”

Ross said his advice for students is to follow their dreams.

“Do something that you love and you will never work a day in your life. If you actually love it, it’s not a job,” he said. “Can you imagine doing something that you love and making money from it? It won’t be considered work.”

Ross will play jazz at Forrester’s on the River during “Wine Down Wednesdays” events for the entire month of March (5, 12, 19 and 26) which include half-off appetizers and wine from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“The H-Factor” airs Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on 88.3 WXUT.