Born in 1958, Richard Rex Wertz is a native of Enola, Pennsylvania. His father always had a passion for big band music, enjoying Benny Goodman in particular. Consequently, Rex grew up listening to jazz constantly and began to study clarinet at the age of 9, picking up the sax and flute later. Rex attended North Texas University (now the University of North Texas) for 3 years, where he studied clarinet with Lee Gibson and improvisation with Rich Matteson and Dan Haerle. After leaving "North Texas", he moved to Florida and began working for Walt Disney World. Currently, Rex is an active musician in the central Florida area, with long term collaborations that include The Terry Myers Big Band, The Rich Walker Quintet, The Sam Rivers Big Band, Chuck Owen's Jazz Surge Big Band and The Jim Roberts Saxtet. Rex Wertz is no stranger to the Altamonte Jazz Ensemble. AJE was one of the first bands that he performed with, even though he remained busy at Walt Disney World.